


A Prince of Ylisse

by iciecelest



Series: A Prince of Ylisse [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Army, Best Friends, Family, Fan theory, Friendship, Gen, Other, Politics, Pre-Series, Royalty, Strategy & Tactics, Survival, Time Travel, Unrequited Love, War, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-04-14
Packaged: 2018-05-29 16:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 40,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6384289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iciecelest/pseuds/iciecelest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The war raged on in Valm and while the king was out there fighting for peace, those who were left behind tried to keep Ylisse into a beacon of hope. But Ylisse has its secrets and Frederick knew them, especially about the other Exalted bloodline.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Those Who were Left Behind

**Author's Note:**

> Author notes: Hi all. This is my first fanfiction ever. Reviews are highly appreciated, so please be nice. Thanks!  
> I thought of turning Chrom into a king instead of him remaining as a prince even after Emmeryn died. It's only natural, right? There must also be a reason why the future kids are all grown up when they time traveled so I adjusted the events in Awakening to 17++ years.  
> Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem. Just a copy of the game, but rights and stuff goes to Nintendo and IS.

A man sat on a bench in a park that was turned into a refugee camp. He looked at the pigeons that loitered near him hungrily and realized that he hasn't eaten in minutes. He seriously considered catching one of the birds to roast, and his mouth watered, but he was not that desperate for food. The city of Ylisstol still had food reserves but with the war with the Valmese continent going on, and with refugees entering Ylisse, it was not farfetched to think that food will be the first resource to go.

A tiny refugee girl ran towards him and gave him a plain lettuce sandwich. “Here ya’ go Stahl,” she said. The man accepted the little offering and thanked the girl with a big smile. He ate the whole sandwich in three bites. “Best sandwich ever,” he said as he patted the little girl’s head. She giggled then ran away to play.

He thought of his friends in the army, The Shepherds, and how they were faring out there. The king took with him fifteen of his best fighters, and the ones who were left behind like him, were in charge of keeping the peace, had other jobs to do and give Libra, the army’s saint, an extra hand in his orphanage. The man, who in actuality led his own company of Paladins, completely understood why he was left behind. He was just average in everything and being with the others in Valm would just make him a liability.

He ran his hand through his hazel locks, dusted his viridian armor, and he looked towards the clear blue sky. "May the gods keep her," he said. He was not one for praying, but war made him worry over his friends. Libra said once that when there was absolutely nothing that you can do, the only recourse was to put your faith in beings you can't see.

War changed people.

Stahl stood from the bench when he heard the church bells ring twice. The pigeons flew away and made a path for him as he made his way to the castle. It was time to teach Princess Lucina the art of handling a sword, and he felt a little sad that Exalt Chrom wasn’t there to teach her himself. He made his way to the training grounds where the princess waited for him with her bodyguard and personal advisor.

Lucina stood in the middle of the grounds with a bronze sword planted to the ground and her hands resting on the hilt, while Laurent, the advisor, and Gerome, the bodyguard, flanked her. She looked like her father in every way, with cobalt hair and always dressed for action. Laurent and Gerome were both clad in black. The three of them were engaged in a discussion regarding Ylisse's refugee situation.

"The only thing that I can think of that will give any semblance of order here is if we give the refugees jobs. It will not do for them to be idle and wait for the capital's graces. It will only result to unrest and I do not want that happening in my city. Ylisse should still be a beacon of hope," the princess said.

Stahl smiled when he heard what Lucina said. The princess is already following the Exalt's footsteps, and she's only fifteen.

Gerome nodded in agreement but Laurent shook his head. "We have to get the economy going first, Lucina. To create jobs, we need the gold first and the demand for jobs, but what we have now is a surplus of people and not a lot of demand. Unless you want to create a new kind of currency that is based on faith, this plan is not plausible… yet. Hmmm… Paper money…" Laurent fixed his blue gray hair and adjusted his glasses. Stahl knew that the boy was analyzing something important in his head.

Lucina smiled. "It seems like you have a plan. The three of us should work together, discuss this and see what we can do."

"I am not one for plans or speeches, but I will stand beside you as always. However, it's time for something else. Uncle Stahl is here for your lessons," Gerome said when he noticed the paladin standing in the training grounds. Uncle and Aunt was a term of endearment that the Shepherds’ children used for their elders. "Lucina," said Gerome as he bowed to the princess, "until next time." He left with Laurent in tow, chatting about how to liven up the quality of life in Ylisse.

Stahl took it as a cue to greet the princess. He saw the loneliness in her eyes. "I'm sorry princess," he said. "But you have to spar with me again today. I wish that the exalt was here too."

"Uncle Stahl, it's alright. My father has taught me enough to handle a sword. Besides, you had the same training as he did under Uncle Frederick. I know that your and my father’s styles are similar, that's why you were tasked to help me whenever father is away."

Stahl thought of the times when Frederick was a little too harsh with his training twenty years ago.

* * *

"Mind your grip!" Frederick shouted. "The sword is an extension of your hand. Do not ever lose it. Come on! Prince Chrom and Stahl, the sword is to be your expertise. There are no ifs and buts about it."

"How about Sully? Why is she holding a lance?" Chrom asked.

"The lance gives her the extra defense that she needs. Do not mind Sully for now. She is doing well. In fact, she is doing better than you two," Frederick said.

Frederick's words boosted their male pride. Yes, there was no way that they can let a girl beat them! But Sully beat them anyway, and Chrom and Stahl felt the cold embrace of the stone floor several times.

* * *

 

"Mind your grip," Stahl said to Lucina. "It's one of the most important rules ever."

The princess charged at him but he deflected her attack. She swung at his head, but Stahl parried it. Then she swung the sword at his side, and with a circular motion, Stahl disarmed Lucina.

"You are Flynning. That is the kind of swordplay that actors do on the stage."

The princess grunted. "I am taking this seriously." She picked up her sword and went back into her stance.

Stahl put his opponent on point and he could see the flustered look on Lucina's face. She saw the Paladin change his stance, gripped the hilt with both hands and raised it to his side. The sword point was aimed at Lucina's throat.

Lucina panicked and stretched her arms to keep her opponent further from her and braced herself as Stahl charged. She tried to dodge it by stepping backwards, but it was a big mistake. Her focus went to her footing and Stahl used it to his advantage. With the flick of his sword, he disarmed Lucina again and used the flat side of his blade to hit her in five vital spots of her body. The girl was frozen in place.

"Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam! And you are so dead." Stahl said as he put his sword down. “Lucina, be ready whenever your opponent changes his form in the middle of battle.”

Lucina pouted. "That was hardly fair."

"I guess it was too early for you to learn that. I'm sorry. The queen can do that move too and given time, when you master the sword, I bet you can do it better than I can."

They heard an excited clap from the bleachers. "I call that move 'Astra!'"

Stahl and Lucina looked at the bleachers to see an excited twelve year old boy. "How is that Uncle Stahl? I gave your special move a name." Beside him, an equally excited girl with ginger hair in pigtails jumped up and down. “That’s so cool!” she shouted.

"Uncle Stahl, teach us that so we can use it in the Justice Cabal," she said.

Stahl chuckled. "Owain, just wait three more years and then I will teach you that. As for you Cynthia, your own father can teach you that move unless your mother wants you to be a Pegasus Knight like her."

"But they're not here," the little girl said. "We don't even know when they will be back. I will be a hero and bring them back here! Just you wait and see."

"It's a dream we all share, but is it okay for the two of you to go play somewhere else? We are not done with training," Lucina said.

"Fine. We're off to find the third member of our cabal anyway," Owain said. The younger children stood from the bleachers and left. "How about Brady? Do you think Brady will join us?"

"I don't know. He kinda looks scary. How about Gerome? He looks cool… or maybe Morgan."

“Gerome’s too serious and he’s old,” Owain said. “Morgan might join us.”

Stahl and Lucina heard the inane conversation fade off. "Cynthia likes Gerome a lot," Stahl said.

Lucina huffed. "Cynthia is a kid and Gerome is older than her. I don't think he cares about Cynthia."

Stahl tilted his head and smiled. Reading the Princess of Ylisse's tics was starting to amuse him. "All right. Well then, get ready!" The two of them engaged their swords again. This time, Lucina took note of Stahl's movements. She already saw how he handled the sword on point and will not be fazed by it again. Stahl charged at her and Lucina dodged to the side. He used her movement as an excuse to get past her defenses and slap her thigh with the flat of his blade. "Your side was wide open," he said.

"But I dodged!"

"And you forgot your defenses when you did," he answered. "So I got in and landed a blow. Again."

The princess sighed. "Will I be able to beat you?"

"Of course you will, just like how your father was able to beat Frederick. Given time and dedication, you will beat me in practice. Now get ready!"

Lucina picked up her sword and charged.

* * *

"King Validar, he... he spoke to me in my mind. He said I was his son..." Robin, the royal tactician, said to the king. He and Exalt Chrom discussed the possibility of his lineage one night when they were in Carrion Isle. The negotiations with their former enemy Plegia was recently concluded, with Plegia, Regna Ferox and Ylisse banding together against the Valmese threat.

Robin and Chrom had been the best of friends since they first met in a meadow seventeen years ago. They were now both parents with teenage kids to take care of but in the years that they have known each other, Robin's history was largely unknown thanks to his memory loss.

"If that is the case then that makes you a prince. This will make the peace between our nations easier to establish and more solid as you have known Ylisse for yourself. Can you imagine this new era that you and I will usher in?" said Chrom optimistically.

Robin smirked, "the new era is something I am looking forward to, indeed."

Knight Commander Frederick heard the conversation. The king and his tactician didn't bother lowering their voices. It's as if they wanted it known. Frederick was thinking differently, of course. He has always been wary of Robin, and this might just be the reason why. Robin being the Prince of Plegia was just a minor matter. The real reason of his circumspection had something to do with what the previous Exalt, Emmeryn, shared to him seventeen years ago. Frederick knew many of the Halidom’s secrets, and one of them might involve Robin. He had to pay closer attention to the tactician.

He looked for his second in command, The Red Knight Sully, and the fallen nobleman from Roseanne, Virion, with him to a secluded area near the campsite.

"'Sup chief?" Sully asked him. Virion looked at him questioningly as well.

"As you both know, Robin encourages bonding between fellow soldiers," Frederick began.

"Why yes. Where is this going to? Aren't we already friends? If you are suggesting that you, me and Sully go - "

Sully kicked Virion's shins. "You never learn do ya? One more of that and I will aim higher." She turned to Frederick and put her hands on her waist. "Frederick, you never really call out a few soldiers for a late night meeting in the woods, ya know? Is something going on?"

"Just pretend that this is one of those bonding moments that Robin wants for us." Frederick motioned for the two of them to go closer. "I have reason to suspect that our tactician is a Plegian spy," he whispered to them.

Sully and Virion were taken aback. "You can't be serious!" Sully exclaimed.

"I am dreadfully serious. May Lord Chrom forgive me, but I overheard their conversation regarding Robin's lineage. He appears to be King Validar's son, and I do not have to tell you of what implications that has," he answered her.

"Every battle we walk into might be a trap," Virion told him.

"Exactly. I can be at the exalt's side as my actions will not be suspect, but I need to give assignments to some of the people who are with us now to ensure that we will not all die here. Not everyone in the army should know about this, because if word gets out about my suspicions..."

"And if Robin is truly a spy, he will cause the maximum amount of damage to our army without Chrom noticing. The effects will not be seen immediately, but they will be devastating in the long run." Virion added.

"The Shepherds we left at Ylisse should know," Sully told them. "That has problems though. What if he knows of our suspicions? Any letter we send to Ylisse will be screened by him. If he intercepts a letter containing that information, it would make him act against us."

Frederick nodded. He noticed a shadow pass them, "someone's coming. Laugh."

Virion and Sully laughed on cue. They noticed that it was just a crow, so Frederick resumed. "Back to where we were. Sully, I would like to send a letter to Stahl regarding this situation. They should be prepared there in case anything untoward happens here, and gods forbid that Plegia attacks Ylisse. Ylisse should be defended. My letters will be scrutinized but yours won't. Robin doesn't know you enough to think that you'd be the type to send news to your husband Kellam about our situation, so I am attaching my letter to yours. Virion, if it comes to the point that we have to make codes, I would like you to develop a code with your wife Miriel. Now who else in our roster can we trust with protecting the king?"

"I would like to say Vaike," Virion answered.

"No. He would spill the beans in a second!" Sully protested.

"We will not give him any information of course. I will just tell him to keep the king busy. Knowing Vaike, he would just challenge the king to endless duels. Vaike would be our ignorant but effective pawn."

"I concur," Frederick said. "Having Vaike around would give me time to watch Robin."

"If you need someone to watch him, then set up Gaius," Sully said.

"Why Gaius?" The men asked her at the same time.

"Gaius already looks shifty and I'm using your logic that it's nothing new. Everyone knows how he sneaks around camp looking for sweets. If we give him the assignment to spy on Robin, the rest of the Shepherds would just think of Gaius being Gaius. He is also smarter than you think, and he is not one for underhanded killings. He would not like it if Robin is a spy, 'sides, he's close to Chrom."

Frederick nodded. "The only thing left to do is how to send the messages."

The three of them heard a screech and the undeniable stench of Risen overwhelmed them. "By the gods! There's Risen everywhere. Man your stations, I have to alert milord!"


	2. Old Friends Gossiping

Lissa was flanked by Chrom's advisors in the throne room. She did not like being queen regent at all. She knew that even if Lucina was younger than her, she was still better than when it came to court matters, but the princess was not yet at the proper age to rule. And she doesn't want Lucina to rule just yet.

 _Chrom will be home soon and he will take care of things like he always does._  Then she can step down from her temporary queenly status and spend time with her own family. Lissa fidgeted a bit and twirled her pale blonde hair in her fingers. Waiting was more terrible than being in the midst of battle.

"So as I was saying your highness," an advisor said when he realized that Lissa wasn't really listening, "the refugees are starting to get rowdy…"

"Wasn't Stahl supposed to take care of that?" She asked them.

"Yes, but the refugees are only nice when he's around. Their behavior is superficial and they're only friendly with him because he's the authority figure there. Once he takes a break, fights erupt and things get stolen and they have no respect for the guards that try to keep things under control."

Lissa chewed her lower lip. "Then send my husband to take care of things. I believe that Ricken is capable of keeping the peace. Is he not a Shepherd too? Stahl can only do so much. Chrom gave him the task of guarding the royal family, and Frederick gave him the task of guarding the halidom. That’s too much for one man to bear."

"With all due respect your highness, the last time Lord Ricken supervised the refugee camp, they just made fun of how shrimpy he was."

She glared at the advisor. "Careful, sir," she warned, “that’s my husband you are talking about.” The advisor flushed with embarrassment.

Lissa scanned her brain for who else was capable of keeping the refugees under control. Kellam was left behind too, but he didn't have enough presence to show authority. Libra can probably use his gods given charm to quell the people, but he was too busy with his orphanage in Southtown. The influx of refugees meant that more children needed him and that was far more important than the refugee situation. Miriel of course, would be distracted by something that will catch her interest in the camp to be an effective figurehead. Panne could work but the people have not forgotten about how Taguels were considered as second class citizens. They might ignore her or worse. Donnel was back at his homestead where he played the vital role of being a farmer and a militia captain. Stahl was indeed the most qualified out of those who were left behind. It was mainly due to his placid nature and scatterbrained charm that made him a favorite among the refugees. But Stahl wasn't the only person she could spare.

"Ooh. I have an idea. Get Stahl. Lissa is on the case!"

* * *

 

The Paladin entered the great hall and found Lissa standing by the long table. She waved her hand to him and presented him with a meal. Stahl's gaze immediately went to the turkey leg with a side of mashed potatoes, greens and some wine. His stomach grumbled and he got flustered. "Ahaha, it's really hard to contain this beast. Heya Lissa."

"Stahllion, you never changed," she said as she gave the Paladin a hug. It has been several months since they last saw each other, and around two years since they sat down and talked. "I have something important to discuss with you so here's my payment for today. Come, sit down."

"Really, you don't have to call me that anymore. It's been more than a decade since Gaius gave me that nickname, but thanks for the food anyway. Have you had your lunch yet?" he asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about me. How's life treating you?"

Stahl sipped his wine. "I think I'm turning into Frederick."

She gave him a quizzical look.

"Like Freddy Bear I've been left behind to take care of the royal family and I am coaching the heir to the throne to use a sword. I'm also at the age Frederick was when he taught me how to wield a weapon. Wait, no... he was younger. Anyway, it's a good way to spend my time," he said with a smile. Then he proceeded to tear at the turkey leg.

"Oh, I can see the parallel! To be honest, when I first saw you, I thought you were his younger brother."

"You're not the first person to tell me that. I think we are distantly related, I don't know the exact details of which, but Frederick said that he knew about my genealogy. Although he wouldn't tell me how he knew, or show me charts or something. We are both from Southtown and people there were all probably related at one point. But, well, it's just like him to do extensive background research on someone. He probably even has Vaike's juvie records before he became a Shepherd."

"Well, I don't know about that genealogy thing, but Freddy Bear does not know how to relax whereas you live to just do that. So the two of you being related is kind of a long shot," said Lissa.

Stahl nodded and squinted. "Yeah, I think so too. And you, by the way, are turning into Emmeryn."

Lissa blushed. "Thanks. I've always wanted to be like her."

"You do look like her now, except for your hair. It's going everywhere and it doesn't look like it wants to be tamed."

Lissa grumbled. "Speak for yourself! You never found a hairbrush that can bring down your cowlick either."

The Paladin put his fork down and tried to fix his perpetually messy hair. "I'm afraid that this cowlick has a life of its own. Sometimes, I think it can sense danger."

"I feel for you, brother," Lissa said. She pointed at the many tufts of unruly hair on her head and they both laughed. She looked at the distance longingly, and Stahl knew that Lissa went into one of her rare hopeless moods. "Oh Freddy Bear, he was my first love you know? I always wanted him to be a part of our family. I wanted to marry him, but he was so in love with Emm."

"B-but I said you were… uh… did I say something inappropriate a while ago? I meant, it's just our roles now that are similar to theirs but you are m-married and I always thought of you as a little sister. I mean, Ricken wouldn't like it. I wouldn't like it either." he stammered. "It would be so weird."

"Eew! Gods no! Eew Stahl!"

"Exactly. I can't imagine you and me together. I mean, we can be like Frederick and Emmeryn but we're gonna keep it platonic."

"Ugh! I can't even… ugh! I was just telling you a story. Sheesh! Well, anyway, I was hoping that she would marry him if I didn't, but then seventeen years ago… stuff happened. And I moved on, Frederick moved on..."

"He married Cordelia. Who would've thought? It doesn't look like they're happy though," Stahl said.

"How come?"

"If they were, Cordelia would stop sighing and she would not be forced to neglect her talents. There's the pity. Also, I think she's still in love with Chrom."

Lissa laughed. "That is the army's worst secret! Everyone knows. Even Chrom knows, but he's just not into her. I can never understand why."

Stahl smirked. "I remember telling Robin about this a long time ago. Chrom's never been much for gold and glitter, and Cordelia is just too perfect for his taste. If you would consider the women Chrom fancied, you'd know that they were all obviously flawed, but he liked them just the same."

"Then he married Olivia," Lissa said. "It still bothers me a bit, you know. I mean he just met her…"

"Two years, Lissa. He married her two years after he met her, and it was a political marriage." Stahl finished the rest of his meal. "Thanks again for the food."

"Don't mention it. I was rooting for Sumia," Lissa said.

"I think everybody did. Chrom did too. I think he liked Sumia a lot, but Robin told him about the benefits of marrying Olivia, and then the rest is history. We do know that Gaius is incredibly happy with Sumia, so there's that."

Lissa still didn't smile. "But do you think they're happy?"

"Why does my opinion matter?" Stahl asked.

"Well, it's because you read people. You can always tell what is going on with them."

Stahl scratched the tip of his nose. "Is that why we always talk about people when we're together?"

Lissa grinned. "Actually, it's really about the gossip. When Maribelle isn't here, you're the next person I can gossip with."

Stahl scratched the back of his head. "That's… nice, I guess."

"I just want my brother to be truly happy."

"It has been fifteen years, Lissa. I think they are happy at this point. They even have two kids to prove it." Stahl said as he crossed his arms.

"But that is not always the case with royalty, isn't it?" She sighed. "Well, I do know that he loves his children very much. Although sometimes, I think the only child he cares about is Lucina."

"She is the heir, and Inigo is unfortunately…" he looked away, "very shy."

Lissa nodded. "There's nothing we can do about that." She drummed her fingers on the table. "Why didn't you ever get married, Stahl?" Lissa asked him. "Look at Lon'qu. He's scared of women but he bagged Cherche. Or Cherche bagged him. Hmm... I frankly didn't see their marriage coming."

He gave her one of his placid smiles, the one that said that he was resigned to his fate. "It just never happened. I will be forever alone, but that's fine. I like seeing how my friends have moved on with their lives and that there are babies ever after. But I guess, just like Libra, I am content with my service to others and having your kids call me 'Uncle'. One of the most important things that Frederick ever taught me was the core of chivalry, and that is the willingness to assist any in need and the consideration for others. That includes my friends' children."

"That didn't really answer my question," Lissa pouted.

"I'm old. That's the short answer."

"Thirty-six is hardly old!"

"What? I AM old."

"Come on, Gregor was forty-two when he married Panne and to be honest, you look better than Gregor." She noticed the lines on his face. If anything, they even enhanced the good looks which Stahl always downplayed. "One time, some of the guys were playing 'if I had to do a guy' and even if Libra won the list, you came in third. So that's saying something."

Stahl got flustered and chuckled nervously. He bet good coin that Donnel was the one who voted for him. He remembered what Donnel said to him in a Harvest Festival years ago, _‘I mean, a fella as good lookin’ and charmin’ and everythin’ as you?’_ Then he wanted to put on a wig and said that he’d pretend to be his girl and get that regret out of Stahl’s system. The paladin shuddered.

"Er, so let's get to the point then, shall we? What is it that you need me to do?" He steered the topic to where it should really be.

Lissa pouted. "Hmph! Fine, let's talk about business. I want you to take Lucina, Gerome and Laurent to the refugee camp. Have them assess the situation, let Lucina listen to their pleas and be like their Frederick."

Stahl nodded, "yes milady! I don't have to be wary like him, right?"

Lissa shook her head. "You'll be fine. Now go!"

* * *

 

Frederick, Sully and Virion cornered the new guy Henry in his tent. The crows that surrounded Henry when they first saw him were inside the tent as well."Oh, you're the people who can laugh when someone tells you to. I can do that too, see. Nya ha ha!" Henry laughed.

"Hey, Henry" Sully said. She planted her foot on a stool, leaned on one knee and looked menacingly at the newcomer.

Henry grinned at her. "Hi, Sully! Need something?"

"Just wanted to chat, if you have a second. I'm still not completely sure how we wound up with a Plegian mage in our camp. Er, but don't get me wrong! I'm happy you're slinging spells from our side," she answered.

"Happy to help! Just point me at the enemy, and I'll curse 'em to gooey bits. Pchew pchew pchew! Nya ha ha!"

Frederick and Virion looked at each other. "Chrom recruits the strangest people," Virion whispered. Frederick closed his eyes and sighed. His paranoia was working overtime. Chrom's tendency to just recruit people on the spot and immediately trusting them might prove to be the exalt’s downfall.

"...Right." Sully said as she raised an eyebrow. She doesn't like playing the good knight, Stahl was way better at this than she was. He even has food prepared to get on the prisoner's good side during interrogations. She was way better as the brash bad knight."You specialize in that dark-magic stuff, don't you? So, what's the deal? Can you really take an enemy out with just a curse?"

"Yep! Sure can. Just takes a liiittle bit of time and planning. What about you? Ever curse anybody?" He grinned and it made Sully a little frightened.

"A knight is honor bound to face her enemy in fair and honest combat. I would never resort to such dirty, underhanded means!"

Henry raised his eyebrow and turned his grin into a knowing smile.

"Hmm... But the enemy might... Say, Henry? I got a favor to ask. I need you to slap a curse on me sometime. No big deal, whatever's easiest." Perhaps the method for earning his trust was getting him to do something that he liked.

"Absolutely! I'll need a pound of flesh, seven fingernails, and your left kidney."

The trio were left speechless.

"Nya ha ha! I jest. A single hair will do just fine."

Sully plucked a strand of her hair. "Here ya go."

"Yay! I'll start working on this little guy so we can get you all cursed up." Henry said as he put Sully's hair in a wallet.

"You're awfully sunny for a dark mage," Sully said. Henry grinned again.

"Sully, are you sure this is the way to go? Pegasus messengers deliver messages from here to Ylisse all the time, you know." Virion asked.

"Oh yeah? Well remember what we're up against? Pegasus messengers can be compromised. And I don't see any of your pigeons around, Ruffles."

"Oh, so this is what it's about? Tee hee! You could've just told me you wanted one of my crows to send a letter."

"Yes, we are in need of a favor. It is important that only the four of us know about this," Frederick said.

"No problemo! I will help you. Now how many crows do you need?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the pairings in here kind of makes sense (emphasis on 'kind of') for me like Sumia and Gaius for pies ever after, but gameplay wise, I wouldn't waste Gaius on Sumia.  
> Reviews are appreciated, especially constructive criticism regarding grammar since English is not my first language and writing this will help me understand the language better.


	3. Letters

"Munch, munch, munch, Cookie! Do you like your carrots? Yes you do! Oh yes you do! Of course you do!" Stahl said as he fed his brown destrier some treats. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Cookie's neck and rubbed it. "You have been such a good boy. Now let me groom you." He entered Cookie's stall, opened his box of tools and took his hoof pick. He was about to clean cookie’s hooves when he heard someone shout. "Stallion!" the voice exclaimed.

Stahl looked around. "Strange… you're the only horse in here right now, Cookie." He proceeded with picking Cookie's hoof. “There, one hoof is all clean. Let’s move to the next one. Oh yes, you’re a good horsie!”

"Ugh. Stahl!"

Stahl blinked twice, then he saw Kellam, in his full armor as usual, standing outside of Cookie's stall. He was holding something in his hands and he looked worried.

"Gracious me, Kellam!” Stahl dropped his hoof pick and put his hand to his chest. “You startled me. By the way, I think that nickname is not the best thing to shout in a stable."

Kellam squinted. "Er, yeah… I thought you can see me from five armlengths away?"

"Well, between here and there is about seven, I think. What brings you?"

Kellam cleared his throat and stepped closer towards the stall. "Heh. Stahl in a stall with his stallion. Hehe,” Kellam chuckled.

“Classic,” Stahl acknowledged. “No, really, what brings you?”

“My wife sent me a letter. It's about the war effort in Valm.” Kellam’s brows furrowed. “I do not bring good news. Frederick sent you a letter too and the strange thing is it’s attached to mine," the general said. "This also came from a carrier... crow."

"Crow?” Stahl felt uneasy. Why didn’t the mail come from the usual connections? “Whatever, how bad?"

Kellam handed Frederick's letter over to the paladin. "What I received was bad. I don't know what Frederick wrote to you, but I'll read to you some important things that Sully wrote in my letter.

_'Robin found out about his parentage. It turns out that Validar is his father, and this changes everything. Everything, Kellam! Everything! To make matters worse, he rammed our ships into Valm's and set them on fire. We all survived but we lost a lot of ships and some of Plegia's contribution to the effort. I guess, now that we know who his father is, then that makes those ships his property and he has every right to destroy them. Chrom also hasn't been fighting well lately. He was wounded in Carrion Isle in the midst of a midnight Risen attack. Virion, Frederick and I are starting to suspect that something is not right and I am reminded that our loyalties lie first and foremost to House Ylisse, not Robin even if he is the one who really commands the army. Tharja's obviously still loyal to Robin but this new guy that we picked up, Henry, doesn't give a damn. He's a Plegian too. I would keep an eye out on those Plegians. Gods, if you were here, you can easily spy on them.’_

"And then she went on asking how Kjelle is, if I've been neglecting her training and so on. What do you make of it?"

Stahl’s brows furrowed. "Do you think Frederick is getting paranoid again? This time, he managed to convince Sully and Virion to join him.”

“I don’t know. Frederick has always been paranoid but most of it is just harmless crazy talk. Like the pebble thing that only works on Sumia. We know that he’s not that fond of Robin back then, but this is the first time that his suspicions made some sort of sense. If Robin destroyed their ships, then how are they coming back here?”

“Kellam, they still have some ships. But this is Robin we are talking about! He's a good guy, he's everybody's friend. I do not want to think ill of him." Stahl answered.

"He is nice I agree, but we all know how shrewd he can be and how he was able to manipulate Chrom into marrying Olivia," the general said.

"Oh, not you too!"

"Stahl, really think about it. We all know Robin, but none of us are really close to him. The only people he ever really talks to are Chrom, Frederick and Lissa. He is civil to us, but that’s just it, civility. Beyond those three people, has he really been chummy with anyone else?"

Stahl scratched his nose. "Anna?"

"Anna who is equally manipulative like him," Kelam answered.

"She's a nice girl - "

"Who duped you into buying Gaius' Confect when Gaius could've made you one easily," Kellam said.

The paladin chuckled. "B-but it looked so good.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, let's skim through Frederick's letter." He picked up his hoof pick and used it to open his letter. "Alright, let's see here. Okay, he's asking about the royal family's welfare. Yeah, yeah, assist Lissa… don't neglect Lucina's lessons… start training Inigo because… oh. Oh."

"Why? What did he say?" Kellam drew nearer to look at the letter in Stahl’s hands.

"He says that Virion thinks it is possible that Validar will use the war on Valm as the means to have Chrom killed and get the Fire Emblem. He and Sully guards the king, and set Vaike to hang around Chrom more often because they are best friends. Then he set Gaius to watch Robin's every move. He's convinced that if a mutiny happens, Tharja will defect to Robin and it will be Ylisse versus Plegia again, and that will crack the Shepherds. They only have suspicions at this point, so they kept the queen and the rest in the dark. Under no circumstances should I leave Ylisstol. He also said that at least someone with Exalted blood should always stay in Ylisse. If I need to do something in the Farfort, other villages or Southtown, I should just send others to do my errands." Stahl slowly put the letter to his side.

"But my family is in Southtown... I miss my brother and my nieces and I was supposed to see them on the weekend and we always have ham on the weekend. Then there's Donnel at Farfort. I pick up the goods that he farms for Ylisstol. I do understand why I have to stay here. Gods, I understand why they always left Lissa behind, but don't you think Frederick is a little too wary in this? They even involved Vaike in this, how desperate are they?"

Kellam rubbed his chin. "Don’t you see? Frederick is scared that every battle that they get into might be their last. He is our Knight Commander for a reason, and that might have something to do with his paranoia and skill. Anyway, he's obviously grooming you to replace him that’s why he let you know about these things.”

“But my family! Ham! Big juicy ham!” Stahl protested.

Kellam sighed. “Hey, you don't have to do everything yourself. Look, news like this is important. I can bring your brother’s family here for a visit and then after that, let's have a council. Just us Shepherds, and discuss what we should do. I will send for Libra too and since Ricken can ride a horse, he should get Donnel."

The paladin brightened up. "You're a great help, Kellam. Go get the others and I'll see you guys in a day. I'll gather the remaining Shepherds here but just let me attend to some important things first."

The general said goodbye and left him alone to take care of Cookie. Stahl took the stool near him, sat down and stared at the ground for a long time. He laid his face in his palms in anxiety. He hated that he was a long way away from her and he was left alone in Ylisse, waiting forever.

 


	4. Hope Will Never Die

Lucina rode one of Ylisse's simpler open carriages with her usual attendants and Stahl that afternoon. She did not wear something too fancy as she was warned by the others that they might have to literally get down and dirty with the refugees. It was best to be ready, just in case they had to run.

"What exactly should we be doing in the camp? Why did Aunt Lissa send us there?" Lucina asked Stahl as the carriage drove down the cobblestoned streets of Ylisstol.

"Well, you have been wondering what to do with the refugees, milady," Stahl answered, "and Lissa wanted you to see for yourself what was going on in the camp. You see, when I am not there, they want to kill each other. It usually starts with our civilians shouting _'my country is better than your country'_ to the refugees, the taunts become threats and the next thing we know is that Valm and Ylisse is waging war but in a park. To top it off, the families there cook at different times, so there is a small layer of smog that surrounds the camp. And since the whole place isn’t really organized, it can be quite unsanitary and believe me, you do not want me to tell you the details… And sometimes, our citizens who pass by get nauseated because of it. Lissa, no, we wanted you to show the people what Ylisse can do for them other than give them food and a small space of land to wait out the war. We wanted you to let them know that despite what happened to them, they still have their dignity intact."

Lucina looked pensive. "We have been thinking of a few ideas for the past few days. One of them included giving them jobs, but there were issues."

"I feel it important that you know about an idea I have regarding this situation. At this point, the refugees would not mind being paid in kind, but if you tell them that things will change if they want to be citizens of Ylisse," Laurent said.

"It's a start," Gerome added, smiling. "But I have an idea too. I want to continue the idea of giving them jobs, but those would be the ones that would benefit them first. Like, putting some of them in charge of their own security, assigning them tasks in a community kitchen, and so on… Something about today makes me feel that I will do great things," Gerome said optimistically.

The carriage made its way to the refugee camp. The citizens of Ylisstol bowed and genuflected as the tiny parade passed their houses. Lucina waved and smiled at them, and some people even threw flowers. Gerome caught a rose in mid-air and handed it to her. “Here Lucina,” he said, “you are loved.” She smiled and said thank you, put the rose on her lap and placed her hands above it to keep it from getting lost. Laurent adjusted his glasses and chewed on his lower lip.

'hehe, smooth…" Stahl mumbled. He looked away from the trio and tried his best to stifle his laughter.

The carriage stopped and a footman approached Lucina's vehicle and bowed. "We will approach the park in a few minutes. A wagon with supplies was sent in to prepare for your arrival. Is there anything else I can do for you, your highness?"

"Nothing more. Just do the announcements," Lucina answered.

"Understood," he opened the door and assisted Lucina out of the landau. Then he went ahead and shouted, "Make way! Make way for The Princess of Ylisse!"

This announcement had the opposite effect. The refugees crowded near the entrance of the park to catch a glimpse of the princess. The susurrus of awed mutterings was heard and everything went still when Gerome, Stahl, and Laurent parted the crowd to make way for the princess. Lucina looked a bit uncomfortable with the way people stared at her. It was her first public appearance as a leader and her heart struggled to get out of its cage.

"Lucina," Stahl said as she passed him by. The princess stopped and looked at him. He smiled at her reassuringly then winked, "think of Olivia."

The princess nodded and resumed walking. "Oh, let this be over…" she mumbled. She made the longest walk that she ever took to the podium and looked at the people gathered in front of her. They were all eagerly anticipating for some good news, because why else would a princess take the time to visit their dingy little camp?

Stahl and Gerome took their place beside her. _'What did Uncle Stahl mean?'_  she thought.  _'Think of my mother…'_

She thought of the queen, the epitome of femininity. What did the queen have to do with addressing the people?

That job always fell on her father. He should be the one she should draw her inspiration from. Her father, who was strong and can face any challenge in front of him. Her father, who inspired people to march under his banner for the sake of peace and righteousness. Her father, the warrior.

Her mother was the meekest person who ever existed. She would rather hide than show the world what she was really capable of. Her mother, who was humble beyond comprehension even if she had the power of the crown. Her mother, who despite being shy, faced her fears if what was in front of her really mattered. Her mother was strong. Her mother, the compassionate one.

Uncle Stahl was right. She should think of her mother.

Lucina stepped up on the podium and gave the refugees her warmest smile. "My fellows," she began, "I would like to begin this afternoon by thanking you for accepting me here to speak in front of you today. I pay my respects to you, and your elders, and to the children of your future.

"Do you have any dreams for the future? I do. In my dreams, I see that we all attain peace, no matter who we are or where we came from. I dream that this will be a reality.

"Now, of all the various evils that man inflicts on man, it is the suffering of those who seek asylum that has been the most cruel and persistent. Rights as human beings have been breached and for what? For the sake of political opinion, we humans strip the dignity of those who look for help because of different circumstances, and I say no more to that nonsense. Perhaps change is my best hope.

"We all have the right to attain a brighter future, and to do that, we need the right to work, the right for our children to have proper education, and having none of that in our lives is physically and emotionally draining. No one should be allowed to suffer that.

"Yet the thing I want most is something that I cannot do alone. We must win with our collective strength so let us set things right together. If you wish to remain as you are, Ylisse will give you the necessary resources to live here until the war is over. But if you wish to dream for a brighter future with me, Ylisse will grant you citizenship if you sign up.

“We are setting this park as a small community where you can start your new lives in. If you become a new citizen, these gentlemen with me will find you a job that will suit you and your family. In this new community, Ylisse will set up a kitchen where we can all share our meals as one. We can bring back the rights that were taken away from you as one. You will have jobs and your children can look forward to a brighter future.

"I can only hope this will bring you some measure of peace. Together, we want to see that dream of a good future realized. Have faith, my people. Hope will never die."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucina is one of the most altruistic video game characters I have ever had the pleasure of playing. She already had optimistic lines in the game that making a speech out of them was easy. And I do like it when my leaders really do something for their people, instead of them just talking of things that lead to nothing. Lucina is a doer, and if she were my princess, I would follow her. I also liked what she said in chapter 14, "I prayed to the Hero-King for a small part of the strength he used to save the world. But I need this subterfuge no longer. I choose to fight as Lucina now. The name that reminds me of the strength in the man and woman who chose it." No matter which woman you choose to be Lucina's mom, they all have their own strengths that we can admire. Yes, that includes Sumia. She is more than just pies.  
> Also, with the elections upon us, I think I am sounding a little too political, so please forgive me and my shit about human rights.  
> Now for the Laurent/Lucina/Gerome thing... those three always struck me as the oldest kids and may have been crushing on each other for quite some time. They’re also the more sane ones. It’s weird that Laurent is Lucina’s fastest support, maybe because they're like the mom and dad of the kids in the future. Gerome has that mask thing going on for both of them and maybe he has a bodyguard crush on Lucina. Again, all is fair in alternate timelines.


	5. Plans

The Queen Regent opened the ginormous wooden doors of The War Room. At least she tried to."Somebody help me open these doors!" Lissa shouted.

Stahl, who stood behind her, gave it a bit of a push, but it didn't budge much. "oof! This is heavy," he said.

Ricken pushed as well but his effort didn't help them at all. "Door! Don't you dare underestimate me!" he shouted.

"Dear, I guess your height didn't come with muscles," Lissa teased him.

"Haha. *Grunt* Nnnnnnnnnngghhhhh…. we've got this." The three of them pushed again.

"May I watch? I find this whole process fascinating," Miriel said as she fixed her glasses.

The two stopped what they were doing and glared at her. "Fascinating. I have never seen the two of you glare before. It warrants a new - "

"Miriel, when you say fascinating, it almost sounds sarcastic but I know that you are not capable of that," Lissa said. "Stahl, she was your girlfriend. Ask her for help."

Stahl blushed. "What?! We were never together, together! Miriel, just go get help."

Lissa giggled. "Really? But with the things you did for her like those two hundred extra sit-ups while you’re in armor, and how much you like redheads…"

Stahl's jaw dropped.

"Now that is new knowledge to discover," Miriel added. “If I may, why not hold the council in another room?”

“No. It has to be here. The big table is in here and I want to slam my fist on the table when I make a point,” Lissa said.

“I see. Would it -“

"Just get help!"

"Oh if I must," the mage said. She left them and hurried down the corridor to do as she was told.

Stahl's blush was still visible on his face. He stopped pushing the door and wiped his brow.

Lissa poked his shoulder. "So was it Miriel?"

The Paladin rolled his eyes. "No. Really, Lissa!"

"It has to be Sully!" Ricken interjected. "It's obvious. You two spent a lot of time together since… since seventeen years ago."

"No! Sheesh! Not her. Gods! She's my best friend's wife! There is no need to poke into my love life because there is nothing there. You sound like Cordelia."

Lissa was taken aback. "I did not expect that reaction. Uh, so it’s Cordelia?! Sheesh Stahl, she’s your boss’s wife!"

Stahl shook his head. "Are you going to ask me if I had a thing for every redhead in our army?"

"After I'm done with the redheads, I'm gonna ask if you liked the pink haired ones. Pink really just watered-down red. Or maybe orange, which is just hyped-up red. Wait, that's just Gaius. Ohmygosh it's Gaius isn't it!" Lissa put her hands to her mouth.

"I'm not even gonna answer that. Why are you so curious about my love life? Why not ask Libra or Anna why they didn't get married either?"

"Don't monks have a vow of celibacy?" Ricken asked.

"No. Really, Ricken! I married you remember! And I'm a nun with an axe!"

"Are you? I thought you were the love of my life." He grinned at her.

Stahl felt like hitting his head on the door, but he laughed at them instead. "When the kids flirt with each other, it's cute. But you guys… it's… I don't even want to go near your marriage that's erupting with cheese lava."

Miriel returned with help comprising of the other Shepherds. She clung on to Kellam's arm and her actions made the general look very uncomfortable. Libra, Panne, and Anna looked at the three people who sat on the floor. Donnel was also with them but he brought his daughter with him.

"Uncle Stahl!" The little girl shouted.

Stahl opened his arms and hugged her. "Hey Nah, have you grown taller since I last saw you?"

"Silly, that was just last week!"

"Yes it was. Remember our song?"

"Yes!" Nah answered. "Nah-Nah had a little lamb! A very tasty mutton chop – "

"Stahl… what songs have you been teaching this child?" Libra asked him.

"Food. It's about food. And she lives in a farm with lambs and her father is a Shepherd - "

Libra raised his hand and closed his eyes as he drew a deep breath. "Stop. I understand."

The paladin smiled sheepishly. He patted Nah's head. "I see you're still copying my hairstyle. This cowlick is permanent you know." He tried to put her cowlick down with his hands. "huh. It's hard as scales. Welp, never mind that. Here Nah, have a muffin." He produced a muffin from his "lunch" satchel. His “snack” satchel had all kinds of jerky in it and his “dinner” satchel had savory breads.

Nah accepted it and smiled brightly at Stahl.

"That ain't never goin' down neither. Must be her mama's blood an' stuff. How ya doin' Stahl?" He tipped the pot on his head a bit to Lissa. "Ma'am?" He helped the queen regent getup on her feet.

Lissa hugged Nah. "Donnel, she's adorable!" It has been five years since she last saw the little girl.

"She's the best darn daughter a father could ever ask for," he answered.

“Stahl,” Panne said as she raised her eyebrow.

“Panne,” Stahl acknowledged her.

"What are you all doing on the floor?" Panne asked them.

"We need help with the door," Lissa answered.

Panne shook her head. “Ridiculous man-spawns…” she mumbled.

"Alright. Let’s all push this door. Together on the count of three," Anna said.

"Stop. Nah, let's transform," Panne said. The little girl nodded and the two of them transformed into a giant rabbit-like creature and a small dragon.

"On three again," Anna said.

The Shepherds put their collective strength to push the door. With grunts and a bit of screaming, they managed to open the war room. Miriel looked at the hinges and saw that they were rusting. "How crude," she said. "Bested by rust."

"You know, I could've sold you some oil," Anna said.

"Come on, shut it Anna," Ricken said. "Literally shut the door."

The war room was dusty and everything was the way that Robin left it seventeen years ago. After Emmeryn’s assassination, King Gangrel’s demise and the drafting of the Ylisse-Plegia peace treaty, there was no need to open the room. Now that there is a new war, the war room was needed once more.

Panne and Nah returned to their humanoid forms. The Shepherds occupied the seats in the round table in the middle of the room. Stahl rolled the maps that were put haphazardly on it and Kellam took it away for him.

"What exactly are we doing here?" Libra asked Lissa. The Queen Regent cleared her throat and looked at all of the Shepherds in front of her.

"As you may know, we have received letters from Sully and Frederick regarding the situation at Valm. It contained some disturbing news. Stahl and Kellam only hinted at what's going on but not the details, and as Shepherds, we should be aware of any news since we were the ones who were left here to defend the halidom."

"Virion sent a correspondence too," Miriel said.

"And what did it say?" Lissa asked.

"He said that he finally walked on tangible coals for me, and to prepare for a catastrophe. He did not cite the exact nature of that but it might relate to a revival of the Plegian War and a mutiny."

Lissa looked at the knights for answers.

"It's true. They found out that Robin is King Validar's son and that Chrom was wounded from a Risen attack at Carrion Isle," Kellam answered. He relayed the other information that Sully and Frederick told them.

The rest of the Shepherds were in shock. They all voiced out their opinions at once.

"That wolf!" Panne cried.

"Did he plan everything? Was he the one responsible for Emmeryn's death?" Libra asked.

"That darn mother – "

"What exactly is going on? Should I even be here?" Nah asked her father.

"He was and still is wearing Plegian robes," Anna said. "Hoodies are a hit there."

"What? Chrom is wounded!" Ricken shouted.

Kellam, Stahl and Lissa looked at each other. The two men nodded slowly at her. The racket of disagreement continued until Stahl pounded his armored fist on the table three times. The room calmed down and everybody looked at Lissa again.

"Should Lucina know?" Miriel asked.

"I- I don't know," Lissa said. "At this moment, I am worried for my brother. Imagine what would happen if Lucina knew? She is already doing so well with her tiny exercise in leadership. And Inigo! How would he react? And think of Noire and Morgan. If they knew that their father is a spy, their future would be ruined."

"Lissa, we cannot shelter them forever," Ricken said.

The queen regent's eyebrows furrowed. "I know that. But I trust Robin. He cannot be a Plegian spy. Why, he didn't know anything about himself when we picked him up. I'm sure this new turn of events was just an unfortunate coincidence."

"If I may," Miriel began, "it is possible that Robin is actually a spy. If we scrutinize our victories against our defeats, we will see that in the battles that really mattered, we did win but there was always a dire consequence. Fact number one: the capture of Maribelle seventeen years ago by bandits. Though Maribelle did say that she went to Plegia herself, how was it that the bandits knew where to waylay her? Though the bandits had no apparent association to Plegia, King Gangrel labeled it as an invasion and started the debacle. Fact number two: the assassination of Emmeryn. How did the assassins know where to strike? Castle floor plans are fiercely guarded to prevent situations like that from happening, unless there was an insider who fed the assassin information."

"Or Robin did it himself," Ricken said.

"Objection!" Stahl shouted.

Anna blinked several times. "The way you said that, you reminded me of someone from the judiciary. A Mister Wright or something, I forgot which."

"We are going off topic…" Lissa reminded them. "Why do you object, Stahl?"

"When I helped Maribelle with her studies some time ago, I encountered something like the… uh… magnum carter? Anyway, it was about not willfully taking somebody as a prisoner or something or outlawed unless judged by his peers or the law. Then there's the… the… um… presumption of innocence thing," Stahl said as he snapped his fingers.

"Gosh, I know that. It was part of the high society learnin' she told me to read 'bout. Everyone charged with penal offense has the right to be presumed  _innocent 'til proved guilty_  according to law 'n a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necess'ry for his defense," Donnel added. “And since we have no proof of nothin’ of Robin being a spy, then Robin is still innocent.”

“And we are not charging with a penal offense,” Stahl added. “No matter how clear Miriel’s points may be, we are merely assuming that Robin is a spy because of his lineage. Remember, he didn’t even know who he was when we first met him. We are violating part of the magnum carter by willfully outlawing him.” Stahl’s brows furrowed. “Are those even the right words? Magnum? Magna?” He mumbled.

All of them looked in shock at Stahl and Donnel.

“How come you two were the only ones that Maribelle asked to help her out?” Lissa asked them.

"You know how Maribelle is…" Stahl answered sheepishly. “She kinda coerced us into helping.”

"Yes, but she didn't mention this to me! Me!" Lissa shouted.

“She did tell me about her dreams of being in the judiciary,” Libra said.

Lissa gritted her teeth. Her best friend doesn’t tell her anything important at all. "Fine, fine," she said as she waved her hand like it magically dismissed the topic. "The thing we need to talk about is what are we gonna do? It's not like we can just go to Valm and rescue Chrom! Regna Ferox's port is destroyed and I'll be damned if I get help from Plegia even if there is a truce.”

Everyone looked questioningly at Lissa.

“No, it's not a peace treaty before any of you guys correct me, it's a truce! And I know that because even in our small little group, cracks are forming and it will only be a matter of time before something really bad happens. It doesn't matter if Robin is evil or not, what matters is that we are absolutely in the dark at what's going on out there and we can't do anything about it! Absolutely nothing! And to make matters worse, we don't even know how to break it gently to our children." Lissa sat down on her chair. Ricken hugged his wife and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "I do not want to lose another loved one because of this stupid, stupid war over a shield!"

"There is more to it – " Miriel began but she was interrupted by Libra.

"War is terrible, not just for the soldiers but also for those who wait," the monk said. "We should strengthen Chrom's faith in us by preparing for the worst case scenario. Let us think of ways."

"I suggest that we start training the next generation of Shepherds, even without Chrom's approval," Panne said.

"How can you say that? How can you bring our children into this?" Lissa asked.

"There will come a time when they have to learn how to defend themselves. I know it is essential for Lucina to learn how to wield the Falchion, but it goes deeper than that. A big part of the reason why my warren fell was because my people could not fight. There were only a few of us who can, so look at what happened to us? They are also at the right age to know the proper way to fight. Look at Gerome. Cherche knew that her son would follow her footsteps. He may not know how to ride a wyvern yet, but he already knows how to use an axe, and he does it for the service of the crown. Besides, having all of our children train here in the castle means that we can keep an eye on them and we can protect them just in case… well just in case."

Lissa wiped her tears. "I do not want to do it, but I understand. I say yes, though it hurts me that they will lose their innocence."

"Aye," Kellam agreed. "Sully and I have started training Kjelle anyway."

"I have already instructed Laurent in the thaumaturgical arts. He will be capable."

"Whaddaya say honey? Wanna be a shepherd like yer pa?" Donnel asked his sleepy daughter.

"But I thought I already am," she answered. Donnel patted her head.

"Like I can do anything, right? I don't even have a kid," Anna said.

Libra thought a bit. "I do not like it as well, but in dark times, it is best to be prepared. But what about the children whose parents aren't here?"

"Their families cannot reject an invitation from the queen regent. It is one of those instances when I can abuse my power," Lissa said.

"I agree, but between us, do we have the skills to teach them how to survive?" Stahl asked.

They all looked at each other and thought of the things that they can do. "Yes," was their collective answer.

“So that part is settled,” Lissa said as she slammed her fist on the table. “Now going back to Robin, I know we are all divided here. Who here trusts him?” Lissa asked as she raised her hand. Stahl, Libra, Anna and Donnel raised their hands. That left Ricken, Miriel, Kellam and Panne on the opposing side. “Okay, so here’s what I think we should do. Since we don’t have proof and we’re torn in this, let’s just keep this to ourselves in the meantime, okay? Don’t let the kids know, but we should all watch him and alert each other when we see signs of danger. But be very subtle about it. We should use codenames for him, but not obvious ones.”

“Sleeper,” Miriel said. They couldn’t think of anything more fitting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot resist Stahl and Donnel acting all lawyery in their scatterbrained and bumpkin way because their VA Sam Riegel is an awesome voice actor, and he was badass as Phoenix Wright.


	6. The Brat

The following day, the Shepherds in Ylisse fetched the children of their comrades. Anna went to Robin's house to pick up his children, Noire and Morgan. Noire was a little anxious but Morgan was extremely excited to go to the castle. Kjelle was asked by her father to make her way to the castle as usual, and Yarne was brought by Panne herself. Brady's family was a little reluctant to have him join the Shepherds since Maribelle and Vaike weren’t around, but when Lissa came knocking on their door, they found that they couldn't deny the queen regent's invitation. There was no problem with picking up Cynthia. She was already staying at Libra's orphanage since she wasn't old enough to be on her own. The monk volunteered to take care of her until Sumia and Gaius returns from Valm, and Gaius trusts Libra with everything, including the safety of his daughter. Laurent and Gerome were already under Lucina's employ and were living in the barracks, and of course, there is no problem with Owain and Inigo. The only one left was Severa.

She didn't want anything to do with the Shepherds at all.

It was a problem that the Shepherds did not want to deal with.

"But she's a brat!"

"She's so unlike her mother."

"How can Frederick not teach her about discipline?"

Those concerns were somewhat unfair, but Lissa needed the girl at the castle. "Kids are tricky," she said, "so I'm sending them to get Severa. If she won't listen to us, then she might listen to them."

Noire and Morgan were sent first. The adults knew that Noire was the only person that Severa was nice to, but she sent Noire packing. "I was imposing on her way too much this time," Noire said, "so she can't go." Kjelle and Cynthia went next, but it ended up with Cynthia in tears, shouting "villain!" over and over again outside of Severa's house. Kjelle had to drag her away. Lucina and Owain tried their luck, but Severa didn't even bother opening the door for them. Yarne, Brady and Inigo were reluctant to even knock on the door. And before anyway could even say anything, Severa yelled at them and her domineering personality trumped the three most insecure boys in the world. Laurent and Gerome were the last ones sent to fetch her and she refused as usual. "An egghead like you will figure it all out," she told Laurent.

"I conclude that since we are her equals in age, she can disregard us. I suggest that at least one of the original Shepherds should go there and persuade her to join us. Uncle Frederick's name might be enough to influence her," Laurent told his seniors. "If not, then I think your presence there is needed Aunt Lissa."

"Oh, is that so? Well, I can't really go there. I have a halidom to take care of," Lissa said. Stahl glared at her, she was obviously shirking her responsibilities.

"I'm her husband so I help around the castle," Ricken answered.

"Stahl, get her," Panne said.

"Eep! Why me?! I'm supposed to be the royal family's guard. I have duties here."

"Yes, like her father you are a guard and you should follow what the royal family tells you. Go," Lissa said, agreeing with Panne.

“That’s unfair. You’re abusing your powers,” Stahl said. Lissa smirked.

"But… oh I guess I have to really do it." He set off for Frederick's town house.

* * *

 

The paladin has been to Frederick’s house when he was a recruit before. He admired how charming the two storey house looked as Frederick always took extra care of keeping his lawn neat. But now that he's out there fighting, his daisies under the window were dying. The dead leaves that fell on the ground were not raked, and a white skinny cat was asleep beside it. There was an eerie silence surrounding the house, he didn't even know if Tharja placed a curse on the lot or if anybody still lived there.

Stahl knocked on the door, "Hello Severa? It's me, Stahl."

The door slowly cracked open. Behind it, Severa stared at him. "Let me guess, your lame-ass group still wants me at the castle."

"Oh, hi Severa! It has been a while.” Stahl smiled warmly. “My, my, you've grown rather pretty just like your mother. And your hair is pretty long now too."

The girl scowled. The paladin knew something was wrong and he grew concerned. Stahl tried to look inside the dark house to see if anything was bothering her, but Severa didn't let him get past the front door. "I guess the other kids have told you why they want you at the barracks. You see, it's important that you go to the castle so we can start training you to become a Shepherd."

The girl glared at him. "Shut up!" She screamed, and then she slammed the door at his face.

Stahl knocked at the door again. "Er, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. If I said something wrong, please forgive this old fool."

"Go away!"

_'So how am I gonna do this?'_ he asked himself. _'Oh. I dealt with this kind of situation before.'_ Stahl sighed, "Listen Severa, I think there's something that you're not telling me. So I will stay outside this house and I won't leave unless you come with me to the castle. You don't have to come with me today, but that's okay. I can wait. I’m really good at waiting. I'll be here if you need me."

"Don't you dare pity me!" She shouted from the other side of the door.

"I don't pity you," he said. "I'm here to help you." He heard her 'Hmph!' from the other side.

He went to the pile of leaves and tried to befriend the stray cat. It was wary at first, but it became friendlier when he gave it some bear jerky that he was saving for later. He saw Severa staring at him through a window. He waved at her, but she pulled the curtains.

It was going to be a battle of attrition. "Listen Severa. I will be back. I just need to pick up some things and then I'll be back as soon as possible," he said to her through the door.

"Whatever. I don't care," she said.

Stahl mounted Cookie and then rode off somewhere. He was gone for half an hour and when he returned, he had with him his camping supplies. He set up camp in Frederick's lawn and he put a bowl of milk outside of his tent for the cat.

The girl opened the door. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You said you don't care if I return, so I set up camp here. You know, so I am near if ever you want to join us."

"As if!"

He saw that her hair was getting very long, it almost reached her thighs. And she didn’t look like she was eating properly. "Oh. Cordelia hasn't given you a haircut before she left. Your hair is very long. Is it bothering you? I can give you a cut but I'm not as good as your mom. Did you know that she is the one who cuts our hair? And have you had dinner yet?"

Severa closed her fists then slammed the door again. "Well, she didn't ask me to leave so that's progress."

* * *

 

Stahl woke up the next morning to see the cat cuddling beside him in his tent. "Hi there buddy, did you have a good sleep? I think you're my pet now. Let's see, what should I name you? I don't know yet." he picked up the cat and knocked at the door. Severa still looked groggy but she suddenly woke up when Stahl almost shoved the cat to her face. "Hello. Have you had breakfast yet? If you haven't I can cook something for you. Would you like waffles and bacon?"

"I ate something. What do you want?" She answered.

"Look! She warmed up to me now," Stahl held the cat in front of her. "I want to give her a name, but I can't think of anything. How about giving her a name for me?"

"How about go away?"

"That doesn't… nah. Come on. How about Serena? That sounds like a cute name. It's got S and E in it and ends with an A like your name. Or maybe Selena? I was actually thinking of giving this cat to you."

"I - I don't like cats," she said.

Stahl tilted his head, she was obviously lying. "But that's a pity. Cats are adorable and Serena is really soft. Here, try to pat her." The girl gingerly held out her hand and patted the cats head. She stroked Serena behind the ears and she smiled. "I suppose she is kinda soft."

"Is that a smile I see? You should smile more often. You look adorable when you smile. Here," he handed her the cat. Severa looked at the tiny furball in her hands and a small smile began to form on her face.

"It must be lonely inside there,” Stahl’s tone changed from chipper to melancholic. “I know that you've been holding the fort since your parents went to war. Hopefully Serena will keep you company."

"Are you stupid? Father doesn't allow pets inside the house. You know how he likes everything clean, and neat and he doesn't like stupid cats to leave paw prints everywhere," she said. Stahl smiled at her. "Then all you have to do is come out of the house so you can play with Serena. Or you could let me in and I’ll clean whatever mess Serena does."

She looked at him and wondered if he had any hidden agenda, but her eyes mostly asked, _'can I? really?'_ "N-no. Once I come out of the house you are gonna take me to the barracks. I don't wanna go there."

"Why don't you want to go there?"

"I don't want to be a Shepherd."

"And why not? You will get surrounded by friendly people your age who will appreciate you, and you will be giving your country a great service."

She squinted her eyes, "I don't want to be surrounded by people who will appreciate me, stupid!" She slammed the door at his face again. "I hate you!"

Stahl knew that having a door slammed on your face was going to be routine, and he was prepared for it. He just didn't know how much longer Frederick's door can take it. He walked to the window and opened the shutters. "I'm opening the window so that Serena can come in the house. If you need any help in cleaning the house just call my name."

* * *

 

It went on for two more days. Stahl would knock on her door in the morning, Severa would give him curt words, sometimes she manages to smile a bit, but then she would become mean again because of the tiniest things. But Stahl was determined to get her out of the house and join the Shepherds. Every once in a while, the other Shepherds would pass by to see what he was doing and why he set up camp there.

"I will not give up on her, Donny" he told his friend. "She's alone in there and she's just a child. I know it's really lonely for her there."

"Ya don't have’ta do it Stahl. Heck, if she don't wanna join us, it's her choice."

The paladin shook his head. "She will come around, I know it."

"Suit yerself. Nah and I are headin' back to Farfort. My militia ain't gonna run itself. Heck, I reckon they're just cryin' babies without me there. Good luck, Stahllion." He patted Stahl's shoulder. The paladin nodded and waved farewell.

Now that Donnel left, he had nothing else to do. "Oh yes, I brought my harp with me." He hurried to his tent to get the instrument and then knocked at the door. "Severa, is there a song that you want? I brought my harp with me to pass the time."

The door opened and Severa looked at what Stahl was holding. "That looks like my mom's."

"Well, we did get harps together when our old ones were too old to be serviceable. Do you want a song?"

She squinted and then shook her head. Stahl knew that look, it was the look of despair.

"Okay then. How about your lunch? Have you had anything to eat?"

"I have eaten something," she said.

She hasn’t, but he let her be. "If you say so," he said.

The girl gently closed the door this time. Stahl sat by the doorstep, strummed his harp and tuned it a bit. Then he cleared his throat and sang.

' _Days turned to months, years have passed me by_

_I'm all alone with no one by my side_

_All that's left is just to decide on a wish_

_I want to know who that person was_

_And why he_  – ow!'

His singing was cut short when Severa appeared and hit the back of his head. "Don't you dare sing that song! I hate it!"

She genuinely did. He looked up and saw her crying. "Severa, it's just a song. I'm sorry. Do you want me to sing something else? I did ask you if you wanted something in particular."

"Of all the songs that you have to sing, why did it have to be that? Go away Stahl! I don't want to see you anymore! I don't want to join the Shepherds and I don't want to hear any more of your songs."

He ran the lyrics in his head. _'and why he did everything for me, toiling away working hard, to make me a heart.'_

“I think I understand why. Severa, are you hurting because of Chrom?” Stahl cringed. What has Cordelia done that even her daughter knew about her love for Chrom?

"It's… my mom's song for the king," she said.

"I understand," Stahl said. "It was… is… my song for the woman I love too. I'm sorry Severa. I didn't mean to sing it. It’s just I miss her and I can’t do anything about it. Sorry. I really didn’t mean to hurt you. I see how you can be hurt whenever Chrom and your mom comes up. I will try not to talk about that. I'm so sorry."

Severa finally broke down. She threw her arms around the paladin and just cried. Stahl stroked her hair and patted her back. "There, there little lady. I'm here, just cry your heart out."

She was a mess of insecurities, Stahl knew. But most of all, she was all alone and she felt unloved. "I didn't mean to tell you to go away," she said. "I just hate it when I'm reminded of my mom. I mean, it's not like I'm telling you this because I want to. I just want to satisfy your curiosity. Mom never really got over the king, and my father didn't mind it either because he loves the king too. They're the worst parents in the world! Why did they even get married in the first place?"

"I know, I know." He wiped her tears dry. He didn’t understand why Cordelia and Frederick got married either. "You need someone who will take care of you now. Let's go to the barracks, so you don't have to be alone anymore. There are people there your age who are willing to be friends with you and will love you for who you are."

"Stahl, why are you doing this? Why are you being nice to me? I've been nothing but a brat. Are you doing this for my mom?"

"No, I'm doing this for your sake. I don't want you to spend one more second going through this alone. There's nothing wrong with accepting my help. Besides, I know that deep down inside, you are a sweetie. What do you say? If you don’t want to go to the barracks now, then let me come in. I will cook you lunch, wash the dishes, and do all sorts of chores.” He patted her hair again. “Oh, your hair is a mess now. Let me brush your hair then I'll tie it up in a pony tail. That might be heavy for your neck, how about twin tails?"

She pulled away from her hug and sniffled. Severa opened the door to her house and let the paladin in. The cat followed him inside. Stahl did several things. He first made her a proper lunch, cleaned the house like he said he would, then fixed her hair. He tried Severa’s brush on his hair, but after a second of it staying in place, it went back to its original state. “It really has a life of its own…” he mumbled.

When all of the chores were done, Stahl made one of Gaius’ recipes for her. It was just white bread with thinly sliced strawberries and caramelized sugar on top but she loved it. Gaius’ recipes were always a hit with kids.

"Is she... is my mom the one that you love?" She asked. She placed her chin on her palm, eagerly awaiting for his answer. He knew that look and it made him very uncomfortable.

"No," he assured her. “I’m not a rival for your mom’s affections. You don’t have to worry about it, I won’t take her away from you or your dad.”

The girl nodded her head. "Okay. I was just curious, but don't get the wrong idea. I still hate you for singing that song. But… thanks anyway… for everything. I’ll join the Shepherds, but only if you fetch me everyday."

Stahl sighed. Success! “Deal,” he said as he shook her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh, where to begin? I never had Stahl father Severa before even if they said that it's one of the best Severas out there. It was either him or Lon'qu, but I chose Frederick because Stahl is such a cinnamon roll and Lon'qu doesn't deserve another heartbreak, so story wise, Freddie was the best option. I read up on Stahl and Severa's conversation in Future Past 3 if he is her dad and... um... I think she digs Stahl’s younger self. She didn't even pull tsun-tsun punches on him. Just dere here, dere there, and dere everywhere. If they weren't related, and if you can pair up gen 1 x gen 2 characters other than the cradle snatching tactician/everyone, then I would probably ship them. They remind me of Ryuji and Taiga in Toradora. But, I won't do it in this fic. Nope. So I'll just put it here that she has a crush on him.


	7. We are Coming Home

Hey Pip-squeak,

How is everything there? Please don't be too hard on yourself and be everybody's shield okay? And don’t mind the others if they ignore you. All that matters is me and Kjelle. How is she? Is she still not good with riding? If not, then don’t let her ride and it's up to you to teach her how to be strong like you.

It's so tiring here, and the few of us who are in the know about what's going on are scared that one day we'll walk into a trap. I think we almost did when we went up that volcano. It was a difficult battle, especially for the ones with horses. The lava kept rising and we had to keep moving or else we're toast. The fliers had it easy! It was unfair, but Robin set up a support system of flier and footman and that sped things up a bit. Gotta be honest, I don't trust him that much, but he can be brilliant. We picked up a few people here. We have some guy named Henry, another manakete (she's hot by the way, unlike Nowi), and somebody important, a swordmaster named Yen'fay. Turns out he's a deposed prince and he helped us turn the tide against Walhart. There is bad news though. Khan Basilio fell. Now we wonder who will replace him as the West Khan. Eh, politics isn't my strong suit and maybe someone will explain it to us.

I got something for Kjelle. It's for the Harvest Festival and since I don't know anything girly so I asked Sumia for help. Hopefully Kjelle is ok with dresses. I think we're coming home soon. Wait for me ok?

Love,

Sully

* * *

My dear Cynthia,

I miss you so much! There are so many interesting things here in Chon'sin. They have flowers that don't grow in Ylisse and the trees are pink. It's so lovely! One time we went up a giant tree and there's a shrine on top of it. There was a sleeping girl there, just like in our books. She turned out to be an oracle and she was amazing!

I learned some new recipes here involving a different kind of tea. It's green, really green, unlike the ones we have there at home and it’s powdery. So I got some and started trying out desserts with it, and your father loved it so much, that we had to buy more.

I hope we can come here in more peaceful times. I think this continent is lovely. We also got something for you for the Harvest Festival. Maybe Owain will like it on you.

I miss you baby! I hope you're not giving Libra any problems. Just be a good girl and we'll be home soon.

Love,

Mommy

* * *

 

My sweet Miriel,

Oh how I weep for not having you here! I have made true of my promise and walked the ends of the earth on hot coals for you! But enough about this, my sweet. I bring bad tidings. Basilio fell when he served as a diversion against Walhart. Now that he's gone, it might be difficult for us to get back to Ylisse and it only means one thing. There will be more cold lonely nights for me here. I miss you terribly! When I come back home, I will shower you with presents that I bought from Chon'sin and the other countries here in Valm. I have something for Laurent too. He needs to look good for the Harvest Festival. Still, be very vigilant.

Your love,

Virion

* * *

 

Dear Brady,

Your father and I will be home soon. We feel that this war is about to end and we are excited to go back to Ylisstol.

How are your lessons? Don't forget to practice the violin. I expect nothing short of perfection. Do mind your grammar, for when I return only to hear you sounding like your father, you will be whipped and that is a promise. Your father may have grown up in the streets, but you did not. Always bear dignity, be trustworthy, be honorable in any endeavor, and be proud of the house that you are a member of.

Love Lots,

Maribelle

* * *

 

Dear Panne,

Is coming back, Gregor swear. Do not make with the worrying and when Gregor returns, will cuddle Panne and Yarne. Then we make little bunny again, no?

Love,

Gregor

* * *

 

Dear Severa,

We are coming home soon. In the meantime, make sure the house is clean and you have enough food to last until winter. If you need any help, ask one of the Shepherds there. Don't do anything that I won't do.

Your father and I got you something for the Harvest Festival. We hope that you like it.

I miss you so much, darling!

Love,

Coredelia

* * *

 

Donny!

I met another manakete! Yay! We talked a lot and we shared things and we chased each other in the sky. It was so fun to meet another one like me. Nah and I won't be alone anymore. Did you know that she likes sleeping too? I cuddled next to her once and she's very, very warm. Then she taught me how to control my breath and how to quickly change from dragon to manakete in seconds. She's coming home with us and we're coming home soon. I love you! I love Nah too!

Love,

Nowi

* * *

 

Gerome,

Do not forget to practice with swords too. Your mother has trained you well in axes, but there is wisdom in handling the sword. When I return home, and we are returning soon, I have to teach you some things that will be essential in the battlefield. Always be collected and never show your fear so you can prove to be Lucina's stalwart ally.

Your mother and Minerva are fine, and they miss you as much as I do. We got you presents for the upcoming Harvest Festival in Ylisse. We hope you like it.

Lon'qu

* * *

 

My dear daughters,

Daddy will be coming home soon. I hope everything is fine at home. Valm is a beautiful but dangerous place, it reminds me so much of your mother. You know, I have to be extra careful that she doesn’t see me writing because I’ll be dead in the morning from one of her curses.

Morgan, make sure that Noire is not having her anxiety attacks. Always keep a bag ready just in case she hyperventilates. Also, try to hide your mother's potions, hex bags and the like because when we get there, we want to have some peace and quiet, and I don't want her practicing things on Noire again.

Noire, make sure that Morgan is well fed and that she doesn't stay up late studying. As the older sister, you still have the responsibility of maintaining the house. If any of you need help, don't hesitate to ask for Libra's or Stahl's help. They're pretty much the sane ones left there and they're always willing to give a helping hand.

Your mother and I brought you presents for the Harvest Festival. We will be returning soon. I love you both.

Love,

Dad    

* * *

 

Dear Inigo,

How is my little prince doing? I miss you so much! Every night I pray to the gods that they keep you safe. The good news is that we will be home soon. I can't wait to see you again. There is a new dance that I learned and I want to teach it to you. I want to practice it but since we are always moving, I just can't get a break for myself. I can't practice in private either, since I share a tent with your father and he still makes me feel embarrassed.

I got you and Lucina darling things for the Festival when we get home. I miss you! Your father is writing Lucina a letter so she won't be sad. I miss you both and I really want to come home soon.

Love,

Olivia

* * *

 

Dear Lissa,

It's a good thing that you stayed in Ylisse. The campaign in Valm is harsh, but at least we didn't have to go through sand. We went to a volcano though, we don't have that in Ylisse so I thought the mountain had a neverending forest fire. Cherche had to chide me about it and it was embarrassing. That lady always speaks her mind but in a nice way, even if she is in front of royalty. It's not as if the Shepherds are sticklers for formality anyway, right?

It was so hot in a volcano. We feared for our lives and the heat was enough to make us go crazy but it saved us from being pinched by rebels and Imperialists. Robin was brilliant with the retreat, but we still had some losses. Basilio fell in an attempt to distract Walhart.

My wound still hurts every once in a while, but thankfully, it's not my sword arm that was wounded. That guy Henry is crazy, but he's efficient in a fight. We managed to get two more members for the Shepherds. One is a prince in Chon'sin. His name is Yen'fay, It was sad that we saw his sister killed, and I will do my best for that not to happen again. The other one is a Manakete, named Tiki. She is the same Tiki from the stories Old Nan told us and here she is called The Voice.

Don't worry about me. Vaike, Gaius and Frederick are protecting me and watching every move that I make. It can be suffocating, but I understand what they are doing. We do want to come home soon.

By the way, send my love to the children. How are Lucina and Inigo doing? I miss them so much. Thank you for taking care of them for me. We have presents for Lucina and Inigo, and I got something for Owain. We are coming home soon.

Love, Chrom

* * *

 

Stahl,

Do not forget your duties and my reminders. You are still to remain in Ylisstol even if you are needed in Southtown. It is imperative that you stay there and be with the royal family.

Regarding our suspicions of Robin, he still looks innocent but we are not letting our guard down. He did get us some victories, but we also had losses and it's a great one that is still difficult to accept. Basilio fell and Khan Flavia does not know who will succeed him. As she is still the reigning Khan, there is not much to worry about Regna Ferox's succession and it will be another four years until they hold their tournament. We suggested Lon'qu to run for khanship, but it did not look like he was willing to do it.

Here is an account of the campaign. There are rebels in Valm, but they are not united against Walhart. The dynasts (rebels) wanted freedom but only on their own terms. Some want to be independent states, and some do not join unless their territory is threatened. Others are happy with Walhart and would only join our cause if there is profit. We decided to join the rebels. Justified, as they have insider info on Valm and it added strength to our numbers. It's also the easier way to defeat Walhart, but they needed a symbol to unite their people. Cherche suggested that we get Lady Tiki at the Mila Tree, but she's a hostage by the empire. We managed to save her and with Lady Tiki, the resistance is uniting.

Valm controls three divisions: the north is commanded by Walhart, south (Chon'sin) is led by Yen'fay (whose host was as good as Walhart's), third are lands in between (presumably ruled by Generals Cervantes and Excellus). Robin split our army in three: Basillio led the north, Chrom led the middle (against Pheros who held Fort Steiger). Flavia took out the forces surrounding the fort as we made our way in. The supposed reinforcements, turned against us. We walked into another trap and I fear that it was Robin’s doing. The resistance are united, but now against the Ylisseans. The north and south regiment were destroyed by Yen'fay and Walhart and the rest of their company marched towards Fort Steiger to route us.

We didn't hold our ground in Steiger, so we took the opportunity to escape. Robin decided to attack both of Walhart's factions. Chrom led the riders, both landborne and airborne against Yen'fay, and a diversion platoon attacked Walhart, which was led by Baisilio. His faction was overrun by Walhart's cavalry and he fell in battle.

The rest of our company went to Chon'sin to escape via volcano because the resistance wouldn't follow us, but Yen'fay did. Apparently, Yen'fay was only fighting for Walhart because his sister was a hostage. Since Say'ri, his sister, died in battle, he had nothing to live for but Chrom did not want to waste his talents, so he was conscripted.

With Steiger and Chon'sin down, the resistance turncloaks withdrew their soldiers and Walhart's empire is starting to crumble. We are preparing for our final attack against Valm and we believe that we are coming home soon. Once we get there, I will make the preparations for you to replace me. I am getting really old and weary and I need to retire.

There is also something that you, Lissa and Chrom needs to know. Ask Miriel for help about information regarding a historical figure named Julia.

Frederick

* * *

 

She paced back and forth inside her tent, wondering if she had the guts to do it. The quill and paper stared at her on her cot and it looked like it was looking for trouble. _'there's nothing wrong in asking him how he is, right?'_ she asked herself. _'after all, we are still friends. And there's nothing wrong with a letter.'_

She picked up the items and tried to write the first words. "Dear Stahl," she wrote. "How are you doing? I miss you so much." Her hands trembled and she stopped what she was doing. She tore up the letter and threw it in the fire.


	8. I Always Will

To say that the princess was excited was an understatement. Lucina was seen next to her father's side in almost every waking moment, and Chrom couldn't be happier.

She doted on him, and would rather serve him herself when she found out about the wound he received. "Lucina, you do not have to worry about me. I am healing well and your Aunt Lissa is taking good care of me. I will be up and running in a week and then we can start training."

"I am looking forward to it," she said with a smile. "I have learned new moves and I have been practicing day and night. I want to show you what I can do."

"I won't go easy on you," Chrom answered. "Have you been practicing with real swords?"

"Yes, I have. They are heavier than expected but I managed."

"Alright sweetie. But enough about sparring, have you decided which one of these boys you'll go with to the Festival?"

Laurent and Gerome, who always flanked the princess, suddenly looked at the floor or anywhere else the king or the princess wasn't.

Lucina blushed. "Father! I've never thought about – I-I… father!"

"You should see what we got her, boys. I'm letting you know now that she'll be the prettiest girl in the festival," the king said. 

The two didn't even know how to answer that.

"Father! I'll just go with my brother. He'll probably hide behind me in the festival," she answered.

"Of course. Tell me what you have planned for the festival?"

He was proud of everything that Lucina did. Chrom heard of what she did in that little community that she created, especially about that bit where almost all of the refugees who heard her speech signed up to be new Ylisseans. That significant action reduced the problems in camp for about seventy percent.

The princess relayed her plans. Since Ylisstol was full of people, they decided to hold the festival in Southtown. It was Frederick's fief, but Chrom and Lucina knew that the knight would do anything for his lord. Lucina had people sent there to help decorate the place in the spirit of fall.

"It's a good thing there was no famine in the last war," Chrom commented, "and life does go on. We do need a respite from the fighting. I want singing and dancing and lots of food. It's good that peace is upon us."

The princess agreed. "We have decided on setting up a concert. Aunt Cordelia will be the conductor, and here's her playlist," Lucina handed a sheet of paper to her father.

"It's just five songs," he said.

"She said concerts can get tiring for the musicians. Then I asked mother for a dance number, but she hasn't given me an answer yet."

"You know how she is, but don't put her in the program yet. Before you say anything about food, I want Cherche to lead the committee," Chrom said.

"Oh, I was thinking of putting Uncle Stahl there…"

"No! Don't do it. Not Stahl, nor Gaius. Cherche is the best person to handle that."

"If you say so father." They went over the other minor details for the festival. They added a play, some acrobats, a tournament of arms (which was just an excuse to have armed people in there in case some Risen appear), games, Pegasus rides and stalls for trinkets. "Then we end the festival with The Debutante's Masquerade Ball."

Chrom nodded, "which takes me back to the question, which of these boys will you take with you?"

* * *

 Miriel scanned every history book that she could find in the castle library for somebody named Julia. There were several Julias in history and she didn’t know which one Frederick wanted or why it was important. There was a bastard princess named Julia from Jugdral. A founder of Southtown named Julia but this one was from Archanea. Both Julias existed millennia ago and the records about them were hazy, if not confusing. There was a Julia that had Naga’s blood from Heim’s bloodline. Maybe that Julia was the one that Frederick wanted some research on, but the old man wasn’t saying why he needed that information. Whatever it was, it kept Miriel interested.

* * *

Stahl groomed his horse in the palace stables. "Cookie, we aren't doing much lately," he told the beast. "You must be very bored all alone in your stall, huh? Maybe I should take you for a ride." After he brushed his stallion from head to toe, he took Cookie's saddle and equipped it to his horse. He wasn't that far from the stables when he saw the queen hand in hand with her son.

He bowed to them as any knight would, but she stopped him.

"Stahl, I have a favor to ask of you," she said. Olivia couldn't look at him straight in the eye. She closed her fist and placed it on her heart, as if that act would hide her whole being. Then she blushed heavily. Her son, Inigo, smiled at him then stepped behind his mother.

He smiled warmly at her, "I am at your service, milady."

Olivia smiled back, and drew circles with her foot on the ground. "Lucina asked me to dance for the festival and I wish I could say no. But she is my daughter and it's my duty to oblige her," she said.

Stahl nodded. "I will help you. If you may give me a minute, I will just get my harp," he said. He hurriedly went to the barracks to get what was needed.

When he returned, Olivia was talking to Inigo. "Inigo, it won't do for you to be so shy. You are a prince and you will talk to all kinds of people in the future.”

The boy silently nodded.

“I know! My friend taught me to grow a backbone by initiating a conversation with a gentleman."

"Backbone?" the thirteen year old boy asked.

"Yes. Backbone. Pluck! Grit! And then we walked around town talking to men, not people that we already knew, but the first nobleman that we saw. She called it shock therapy and it's a proven method. At that time, we thought it was supposed to be for women, but we were wrong. It was a method for men and I think it will work wonders for you."

"B-b-but mom!" Inigo stuttered.

“It will work darling. So let’s start with something cute. Repeat after me, ‘you know why I am like a squirrel? ‘Cause I want to bury my nuts –“

Stahl cleared his throat. He tried his best not to laugh. Olivia was always so confident when no one was around. And she was still incredibly naïve.

Olivia and Inigo looked his way. "Shall we? I got extra horses for both of you."

"Thanks Stahl," she said as she touched his arm. He put his hand on hers and squeezed it a bit. It looked both of them were in a trance.

“Mother?” Inigo asked. Olivia broke from her trance and then turned back to Inigo. "S-sorry darling.” Olivia said. “Practice what I taught you at the Harvest Festival."

"Are we going to the usual place?" Stahl asked the queen.

Olivia blushed, "T-the usual place… of course. Yes, let's go there."

The three of them rode to the west of Ylisstol. It was Olivia's secret hiding place. She usually went there when she practiced her dancing, or when she needed some time alone. It also wasn’t too far from the castle. Only a handful of people knew that spot and those people were her personal musicians: Stahl, Cordelia and Maribelle. Maribelle brought Brady along once, but it was more for Brady's sake than Olivia's. Now Inigo is in on the secret.

"Which song would you be dancing to at the festival?" he asked the queen as he took out his harp from his pack when they arrived at their glen.

"It's a favorite of mine, and you have played it several times. I have made a dance for it and I'm going to teach Inigo the steps," she answered. "I think it's fitting for the debutante’s ball. You know how it goes…" Olivia looked at him sadly.

The paladin froze, but he returned her gaze. For a time, the world was silent and there was nothing that mattered other than themselves. It was only broken when Inigo asked his mother a question. “Why is it ok to dance in front of Uncle Stahl?”

"Because he knows how to keep secrets, and he's the only one around I'm comfortable dancing with… rather… in front of. Inigo, you will know someday," she said. "Stahl, please play ‘Heart’"

Stahl shook his head. "Olivia, I don’t think it’s…”

She continued to look at him sadly.

“Is this what you really want?”

She nodded.

“I think you should start teaching Inigo the steps." He found a tree stump and made himself comfortable. He played the song he knew all too well.

"And five, six, seven, eight!" She taught her son how to glide and move his arms as she sang. " _There was still something lacking in me, something that can't be made easily. The gods said it was a heart, a very special part_. Oops, Inigo, let's go back to the beginning." She fixed her son’s posture and made the same stance beside him.

"It's more convenient if I sing for you," Stahl said.

Olivia nodded, "Of course. Inigo let's take it from the top. Five, six, seven, eight!"

_"There was still something lacking in me_

_Something that can't be made easily_

_The gods said it was a heart, a very special part._

_Days turn to months, years have passed me by_

_I'm all alone, with no one by my side_

_All that is left is just to decide on a wish_

_I want to know who that person was_

_And why he did everything for me_

_Toiling away, working hard to make me a heart"_

Olivia stopped dancing. "What's wrong mother?" Inigo asked.

"I'm s-sorry dear. I got a little tired. I'm not as young as I used to be, you know. It has been seventeen years since I last heard this song," she answered. She stole a glance at Stahl. “And it’s the song that I love most in the world.”

Stahl stopped fiddling with his harp.

"Just the practice the steps I taught you and then we will continue tomorrow. I promise, no one will pass by your room later so you can practice in secret," she said.

"Really, seventeen years?"

"Yes dear. It's just the first part of the dance but it's really beautiful, I promise you." Olivia walked towards Stahl and touched his arm.

“Olivia, we should stop,” Stahl said.

“But… yes, I suppose. I shall have to ask Maribelle to play for me tomorrow. Thanks for being here.”

The three of them mounted their horses and headed back to Ylisse. Olivia sang the rest of the song.

" _Now a miracle begins for me_

_Working with incredible speed_

_Why do my tears seem to fall_

_So endlessly..._

_And now why am I trembling like this ?_

_I can feel my heart beating fast_

_Is this what he made for me ?_

_My very own heart and soul?"_

"Stop!" Stahl exclaimed.

"B-but why? I haven't finished singing – "

"I thought I heard something in the bushes," he answered.

"Why does it smell bad here? Did an animal die nearby?" Inigo asked them.

Olivia gripped the reins of her horse. Stahl threw an extra sword to her and she caught it. "Inigo! Go to the capital as fast as you can! Ask for help! Hurry!"

"M-Mother, what is going on?"

"Risen!" Stahl shouted. He rode to Inigo's horse and the beast's a slap. It bore the prince away before he could even protest.

"Go Inigo! I love you!" Olivia shouted.

"No! Mother! Mother!" Inigo was now too far from them and he wasn't a good rider. He struggled with the reins but the horse just ran to the safest place it knew.

Inigo saw Stahl rode to where his mother was. In a minute, a host of red-eyed, pale skinned, putrid Great Knights surrounded them. All of them had lances and they were ready to charge.

Stahl rode in front of Olivia.

Inigo couldn't do anything when the first enemy struck at his mother. It attacked her horse and Olivia tumbled down. Stahl blocked an incoming attack with his sword but another Risen approached them.

Inigo couldn't bear to watch it. He had to hurry and get help!

"Olivia," Stahl said, "get on the horse." He pulled her up and placed her behind him.

"I'm with you," she told him.

The two of them cut through the vanguard, but with great difficulty. The lance's reach was to the enemy's advantage, and they had to get up close to the Risen soldiers just to hurt them.

They can run away from the threat but the two of them were buying Inigo time.

Stahl was heavily wounded, as he used himself as a shield for the queen. Olivia gave him the potions he had in his pack to let him survive another onslaught. “Our best chance is to get to an old fortress,” she said. But from where they were, it was a long ride to the nearest one and the copse was getting thicker. Cookie was having some difficulty in moving, making their movement limited.

Olivia blocked some of the attacks, but one lance got through her defenses. The lance pierced her side and her thigh. She let out a bloody scream.

"No!" the paladin took the queen further to the woods for a respite from the fighting. He dismounted from his horse and laid Olivia on the ground. He searched in his pack for a vulnerary, but his stock was depleted. "No, no, Olivia, come back to me!" Stahl tore through his tunic and wrapped it around Olivia’s wounds. _‘Think! Think! What did mom teach you about deep wounds? Don’t let it bleed.’_ He put her to her left side, the one without a wound, and then he put his hands over the gash.

She grasped his hand and stroked his face. "Stahl, I'm sorry… for everything. I can't… I can't help anyone," she said.

He panicked and looked for something to mend her wounds. Anything! Anything would do! But it was dark and they were besieged by Risen in the middle of the woods.

"S-save Inigo…"

"Don't!” She squeezed her hand tightly. “Olivia, save your breath. Help will be here soon. Olivia, come on! Don’t leave me again…"

"Stahl…" her hold on his hand was getting weaker. "Stahl…" he felt her hands slowly getting cold.

"I love you, Olivia, and I want to stay with you forever," he told her as his tears fell down his cheeks.

She smiled weakly at him. "I love you too… and I always will…" she closed her eyes and a peaceful smile was left on her face.

He kissed her for the last time, then he stood his ground against the oncoming Risen. His horse ran away from him when the first Risen threatened to cut it down.

Stahl attacked, but he was at an obvious disadvantage. The undead whittled him bit by bit until he was too weak to fight back. His anger and his sorrow made him attack them first before they can land a blow on him. Yet there was a limit to how far he can go.

Stahl felt the world go dark around him as a lance pierced his body.

* * *

"Olivia!" Stahl woke up screaming the queen's name.

"Easy there Stahllion," he heard somebody say. The paladin focused on who spoke and then tried to figure out where he was. He was in his room in the barracks and the person who spoke was Chrom.

Stahl felt his heart sink. "I... Chrom..."

The Exalt sat on a chair near the bed. He was reading a newspaper, but he folded it when he saw the paladin sigh."Before you say anything Stahl, I want you to know that I don't blame you for anything. I know... knew... Olivia, and Inigo told me that she was the one who suggested that you go there to practice for her dancing. With Risen everywhere, and her hiding place near Plegia, we should have expected that. I would have given her more bodyguards, but you know how she is... was..."

“I’m sorry Chrom…”

Chrom sighed. "The queen is gone, and there's really nothing we can do about it." He stared long and hard at Stahl, mulling over what he would say. “Cordelia found you and her in the woods. Olivia was already gone but you were still trying to protect her. You’ve been out for a few days and you missed the festival as usual. You should have seen it. It was a celebration of Olivia’s life.”

He pulled out a bunch of papers from a tiny wooden box that lay near the foot of the bed. He handed it to Stahl. "Careful now, they are really, really old."

The paladin trembled as he took them from the king. Those were the letters that he and Olivia exchanged when they were just getting to know each other.

"I knew that she never stopped loving you," Chrom said. "I also knew that it was complicated. She was loyal to her duty to me and to the halidom, but that was the extent of it. Olivia loved our children, but never me. She called you several times, Stahl. It pained me of course, but in time I was able to overcome that pain. I realized how hard it must've been for you too. I do appreciate that even if… she never really loved me, you distanced yourself from each other. It is me who owes you an apology." The king patted Stahl's shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Stahl."

Chrom stood from his chair and left Stahl alone. The paladin clutched the letters to his heart and silently wept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it was sad that not a lot of characters in FEA had a back story, especially some inconsequential ones like Stahl. Harvest Scramble came along and then we were left to ponder who his crush was in that conversation with Donnel and what if, that crush was a part of the army and now married to somebody else. I had to justify somehow why Stahl doesn't have a support with Chrom and my headcanon says it was because Chrom was the guy who took his crush away from him. Maybe the girl in question was Sumia since Stahl doesn't have a support with her either. Or maybe it’s Olivia if Olivia marries Chrom, because Stahl said he knew that there would be dancing. Anyway, the Summer Scramble conversation between Chrom and Stahl said that Chrom thinks highly of Stahl's capabilities (even if that idiot is always selling himself short) and thinks of him as a friend. So I spun a story out of those two scenarios and this happened. I also like to think of Chrom as a very benevolent king.  
> We also need to talk about Stahl and Olivia's support. While everybody else is trying to get Olivia out of her shell and tells her to suck it up, Stahl respected her insecurities, worked around it and made her feel like she’s perfect just as she is. It's also cute how an extrovert managed to talk to an introvert by going out of his way to make her feel comfortable. It's a big deal. A really big deal. And it just goes to show how incredibly sweet and thoughtful he is. And that is why I love Stahl, and regret having Olivia marry Chrom.


	9. The Beginning of the End

Miriel ran down the streets of Ylisse with a book in her hands. She ran to Frederick’s house and banged on his door. Severa opened it and Miriel ran inside before the girl could even speak. “Frederick!” She shouted.

The old knight came from the kitchen, still wearing an apron. Cordelia appeared and saw the uncharacteristically disheveled mage. “Miriel, what’s going on?”

Miriel caught her breath. “This is about Julia. Frederick, what do you plan to do with that information? Are you scheming to put Julia’s descendant on the throne? The line is from Seliph and Marth, and it has always been from those two. Do you even know if _he_ can wield the Falchion? Is _he_ even aware? We have a princess, Frederick. We also have a prince. A legitimate prince. No, we have legitimate princes,” Miriel said. “And I know Julia’s descendant, he is not one to care about aristocracy, he is one who is content to serve. He will not accept it if you install him in the throne, he would still defer to Lucina.”

Cordelia looked puzzled. “Miriel, what are you talking about? Are you talking about Frederick planning treason?” She looked at her husband and saw that he looked unfazed by Miriel’s accusation.

Frederick folded his arms, “I do not plan treason, Miriel. Far from it. I just needed some confirmation about his bloodline because things aren’t as they seem anymore. If something untoward happens, we need somebody else who can use the Falchion to keep Lucina and Inigo safe. And although he is not yet aware of his bloodline, he can wield it. I saw it with my own eyes. He will have no choice when the time comes.”

“We are discussing his association to the throne beyond his knighthood. If he is seen with the Falchion, how would the populace react? Would the people follow him? It will have many unforeseen consequences, the least of which is an uprising. Would he be able to handle politics?”

“The people already like him so there is no need to worry about that. He does have the charisma of those with Exalted blood,” Frederick answered.

Cordelia’s eyes turned to slits. “Oh gods, I know who you’re talking about. You trained him since his childhood! Frederick! What in seven hells!”

 Frederick sighed. “I wasn’t the only one who knew. Exalt Emmeryn knew the secret and asked me to give him the necessary skills to survive. He will know when the time comes, or he may never know at all. Miriel, stay over for dinner and we shall let Cordelia in on the secret.”

* * *

When the secret of whom Olivia really loved came out, the Shepherds who were ignorant of it became uneasy around Stahl, especially Lucina and Inigo. Poor Inigo was even a witness to it. Kellam and Sully knew all about it. Maribelle knew every juicy bit, and she even witnessed the love that grew between them when they were at their hiding place. Cordelia had her suspicions too, whenever she was with them at the west of Ylisstol, and she finally figured out Stahl’s real reason for playing the harp.  Donnel had an idea of what happened, he just didn’t know who the girl was in Stahl’s story. Chrom knew of course. For the people involved, it was in the past. Chrom had to tell everybody who were slightly offended that even if that were the case, Olivia was loyal to her duty and Stahl distanced himself from her, that’s why he was always left in Ylisse. “There wasn’t even an affair after Olivia and I got married,” the Exalt stressed, “if anything, I was the one who tore them apart.”

Lissa compared it to how Cordelia was in love with Chrom and the whole army knowing it. That thing was a joke and everybody laughs about it, but Stahl and Olivia kept the secret for so long and it was mutual, that it somehow felt horrible when it came out. Now she knew why he chose to remain single.

In the three years that passed since Olivia's unfortunate demise, the Shepherds moved on. The people involved were all branded as martyrs by their peers and nothing more was said of it. Lucina and Inigo were still uneasy around Stahl, but not as much as it was years ago.

They all focused on training the second generation of Shepherds. Chrom finally trained Lucina, he even let her use the Falchion. Her prowess with the sword was fast and he was confident that Lucina will beat him in two year's time. When she's not holding a sword, she asked Sumia and Cordelia to teach her how to move fast enough to strike another enemy after she fell one.

Owain was now old enough to learn how to fight, but he did not follow in the footsteps of his parents, even if he had the potential to be an excellent mage. Owain wanted to be a myrmidon, and he pestered Lon'qu to teach him since Chrom cannot be spared. The swordsman was nice enough to teach him, but on days that he cannot be spared, the others who knew the art took over. Sully, Stahl, Gaius, Gregor and Yen'fay taught him everything that they knew even if they were all different techniques. The result was Owain trying his best to be everything that his teachers were. "Owain, it's never too late to be a mage or a priest," she told him.

"But the blood of heroes courses through me! Fight me, mother!"

"I cannot stand a chance against the sword hand of the mighty Owain Dark!" Lissa shouted.

"You must! The midday sun draws out my inner monster. Can't… control…" Owain took a practice sword from the weapons rack.

Lissa shook her head. She took a practice axe and readied herself. "Hero's blood or no, you cannot unleash that demon! Prepare to meet your maker, Dread Fighter!" Lissa shouted a war cry as she charged towards Owain.

"Wait… aren't you my maker? Oh… Ahhh!" the boy shouted when Lissa's axe connected with his sword. He did not expect that his mother was skillful with an axe. Even if her blows were weak, she managed to maneuver herself into Owain's blind spots, found an opening and tapped his side with the flat of her blade. She disarmed Owain and jumped a step backwards. "Galeforce!" Lissa shouted, then she tackled her son to the ground.

Owain laughed. "You are the superior Battle Nun! I concede my defeat and would like to be your forever apostle. I need to learn this Galeforce."

Before Lissa could answer, Frederick arrived in the training grounds with Cordelia on her Pegasus. His hair was already peppered with white and Lissa secretly hated it that Chrom hadn't made him retire yet.

Frederick and Cordelia came back from their mission in looking for the gem Sable. While it was impressive to be a fifty-one year old in an occupation where everybody dies at thirty, Frederick deserved to rest and enjoys the profits of his fiefdom.

"Milady," he bowed to Lissa. "It is imperative that I speak to the king."

"You can do that later. Welcome back, Freddy bear!" She gave Frederick a hug. Owain shook the old retainer's hand. "Uncle Frederick," he said and then he left them to practice his techniques on a dummy.

Lissa ushered him to where Chrom was lecturing Lucina. "No, never twirl your sword. That can lead you to lose your grip. And what do we always say?"

"Mind your grip," Lucina said through gritted teeth.

"Good. Now charge," Chrom commanded.

The princess attacked with all that she's got. Chrom didn't go on the offensive. He just blocked and parried all of Lucina's threats and blows. The two of them noticed Frederick and Lissa approaching and stopped their sparring session.

"Milord, I have returned," Frederick said.

The noise in the training grounds subsided. It was the last gem that the Ylisseans were looking for and having it might mean that peace will be fully restored in the land. Robin jogged to where Frederick was, and everybody else waited with bated breath for his announcement.

"Yes, Frederick? Did you find it?" Chrom asked.

"I believe so, sire. King Validar has extended an invitation. He says Plegia has been guarding Sable, and now he wishes to return it to you."

Everybody looked tensely at Frederick. It didn't sound like good news.

"Validar..."

"They sent word to me, milord. They must have caught wind of my search..." Frederick's face could not be painted. There was a mix of anger, anxiety and helplessness on it. "In any case, Validar asks that you visit him in person, that he might formally present it. Perhaps needless to say, milord, but I don't like this one bit."

"Neither do I, Frederick the Wary. Neither do I. At best, it's selfish political maneuvering at a time when the world can ill afford it. At worst, our run-in with those Risen last visit was no accident..." Chrom rubbed his chin. "But we will meet with him. Send word at once."

There was a collective gasp amongst the Shepherds.

"Milord, are you...certain that's wise?" Frederick asked.

"No, but we haven't time to be certain... And my sister never refused a diplomatic gesture, no matter how foul smelling. If he doesn't give us the stone, he may at least reveal where it is.”

Frederick’s eyes turned into slits.

“Don't worry, Frederick. I'm not walking into this blindly. We will make certain everyone is armed to the teeth."

Most of the Shepherds shook their heads. They could never get a break.

"Then the Fire Emblem, milord—you ought at least leave it behind." Frederick suggested.

"Unless that's what Validar expects, and he comes to steal it with my best men away... No, it's safest with me, for now. We'll learn the truth of Validar's motive soon enough..." The Exalt put a hand on Frederick’s shoulder.

"Chrom is right. The safest place for the Fire Emblem to be is with him, where he can guard it day and night," Robin said. "If we look at it from a different perspective, my f- Validar, might really be interested in handing over the gem to seal the talks between our nations. This is the new era that we are talking about."

"It is a different perspective," Chrom said. "But for now, training is over and let us make preparations for tomorrow."

"Might I make a suggestion, milord?" Frederick asked as he took Chrom to the side.

"What is it?"

"I suggest that at least someone with Exalted blood should behind. Stahl should stay."

"Of course, Frederick. Are we bringing the same people with us?"

"What?! No! I can't stay behind anymore, Chrom!" Lissa shouted.

"But Lissa, it's dangerous out there. I cannot risk you going to Plegia. We will be walking right into a trap."

"You think I don't know that? All my life you coddled me. Even when I joined the Shepherds and learned how to fight for you, you still let me stay here. It's not only unfair, but I am also the best cleric in the army and you need me there," Lissa said.

"I can't risk you dying at war, Lissa. You're my only sister left and you have to be here, like Frederick said. We don't really know what will happen in Plegia. Sister, please do not be stubborn. Think of Owain." Chrom said.

"Oh yeah? Well think of Lucina and Inigo. You're their only parent left and you are just throwing your life away."

"Lissa, this is not up for discussion. You are staying here and that is not a request from your brother but a command from your Exalt."

"How dare you pull rank on me!” Lissa shouted, but Chrom didn’t budge.

“Fine. I will stay here but you better come back," she said.

"Of course I will." He smiled, then he turned to Robin and Frederick and discussed who to bring with him to Plegia.

Owain put an arm around his mother's waist as he looked at his uncle from a distance. "There, there mother."

Lissa pouted. "It's not fair Owain. Remember this, nothing in this world is fair."

Stahl approached Lissa, “I think there’s something you should know,” he said. “It’s about three years ago.”

Lissa sent Owain off. “Is it regarding you know who?”

“I think he will make his move.”

“But I thought you trusted him?”

“I’m not sure anymore,” Stahl said as he cringed.

* * *

There was no news from the Plegian front for a week. Lissa was wrought with worry and to distract herself, she continued training her friends' children. When she wasn't teaching Brady how to use a staff, Lissa was busy trying to teach Cynthia how to ride a Pegasus. But since the girl was already an experienced rider, she was the one who taught people how to fly, particularly Gerome.

Chrom still took the best fighters with him as usual. As for his healer, Maribelle was the chosen one, along with some others who learned how to use a staff for convenience's sake. This time, however, Lucina stepped in as queen regent and Lissa thanked the gods that the royal advisors did not hound Lucina like they did to her three years ago.

She walked to where Stahl stood in the middle of the training grounds. He was drilling the potential knights to be agile in full body armor. "Too slow! If you can't run a lap around the training grounds, I'll have you all run in full armor on four feet of sand. Again!"

The recruits groaned and picked themselves up.

"My, since when did you become drill sergeant nasty?" She asked him. "Or are you really just turning into Frederick?"

"Heya Lissa. I'm just doing what Frederick did to us years ago." He turned command over to Sully.

"How have you been holding up?" Lissa asked.

"Food is my coping mechanism," he said. "But other than that, I'm fine. I visit my family and Donnel often to pass the time, then there's training.”

Lissa fidgeted.

“Don't be scared. Chrom is coming back," said Stahl.

"Ooh! I hate it when you can read me."

Stahl scratched the back of his head then he chuckled.

They saw a black speck in the sky and it was coming closer, getting bigger, and they heard the ear-rending screech of a wyvern.

"Minerva!" Gerome shouted. He ran to where they spotted the wyvern and waved his hands frantically in the air. "Gods! Minerva!" On the wyvern's saddle was a bleeding Frederick. They were followed by a riderless Pegasus, Sumia's no doubt, as Cordelia was leading it with her own flying beast. Lissa forgot that Frederick can ride a wyvern, but why was he the one on Minerva?

The recruits ran to the spot where Minerva and the Pegasi landed. Cordelia dismounted and helped her husband off the saddle. Stahl approached them and carried Frederick then settled the old knight on the ground. The knight bled heavily and he clutched something in his hands that was wrapped by a white cloth.

"Stand back everyone!" Lissa commanded. She used a staff on Frederick but the staff shattered in her hands. "Oh gods! Brady! Brady, come heal him!"

Brady ran to where Frederick lay. He only had a kneader with him and it hardly healed the knight. The boy started crying as he applied his magic. “Come on Uncle Frederick, work with me.”

"Freddy, Freddy, wake up!" Cordelia slapped his face. Severa fell on her knees as she watched Stahl apply some tonics to her father.

"Lissa, his wounds are too deep," Stahl said. That was not what everyone wanted to hear.

"Stahl… get the Falchion," Frederick handed the wrapped item to the paladin.

The moment Lucina heard the sword's name she burst into tears. Inigo comforted his sister and he tried to hold back his tears. They knew what it meant.

"You… you have… Exalted blood… protect… them…"

"What in Naga's name?!" Stahl shouted. "Frederick, wake up! What do you mean by that?"

The paladin recalled what happened several years ago. He was tasked by Frederick to clean the weapons, the Falchion included, and he felt a tingling sensation when he touched the sword. He wondered what it was like to wield it, but he used it to slice potatoes for Panne instead. But it was just the idle curiosity of a naive nineteen year old!

The legends came rushing to him in one big torrent.  _'Those deemed unworthy will find its blade dull in their hands, so much so that they are incapable of doing menial tasks with it.'_ What he did was a menial task.

 _"_ How?" he mumbled, but Frederick couldn't answer that anymore.

Cordelia stopped gripping Frederick's hands and she sighed deeply. She knew Frederick was a lost cause. “Goodnight Frederick,” she said.

She stood up from and walked to her Pegasus to get a satchel. "I don't have much time," she told everyone. "They all need me there."

"No Cordelia, you stay! You stay and tell me what happened!" Lissa commanded through tears. Cordelia handed her the satchel. Inside it was a journal and several rings. The recruits recognized their mothers' rings. She pressed the journal in Stahl’s hands. “Frederick meant it when he said that you have Exalted blood. Now use that knowledge to protect everyone.”

She stood up, "Lissa, Stahl, I really have to go," she said. She took off her ring and handed it to Severa. She kissed her daughter's head but Severa slapped her.

"Gods mom! Why are you picking Chrom now? What would helping him give you? You should be here with father!" Severa asked her.

Cordelia’s tears rolled down her face. She smiled and patted Severa’s head. "I'm sorry Severa. But I have to fight for what really matters." Cordelia said. She rode on her Pegasus and never looked back.

Stahl and Lissa looked at each other, then looked at the crying children around them.

The earth shook around them and a large pillar of violet light appeared in the sky to the southwest.

Nothing felt right in the world.


	10. Julia

Stahl took the Falchion which was wrapped in Chrom's bloody cloak. He felt the familiar tingling sensation when he touched it then he walked to where Lucina and Inigo stood. The paladin knelt on bended knee and presented the sword to her, "long live the Queen," he said.

Everybody present in the training grounds genuflected and chanted, "long live the queen!"

Lucina gained confidence as she surveyed the people who gave her support. Her tears stopped as she raised the Falchion aloft and said, "gather around, everyone. I know this is a difficult day for us, but let us collect the courage and strength that the Shepherds have left behind. We are their legacies and we should defend this land like they did from the oncoming storm."

The Shepherds cheered and raised their fists in the air.

"Lucina, first things first, declare your holy right as queen to the land," Lissa said. "The people will follow you no matter what."

Lucina nodded. She commanded the people with Exlted blood to go with her and that included Stahl. The rest of the Shepherds headed to the war room and awaited further instructions.

When the castle's servants saw Lucina walking in the halls with the Falchion in her hand, word spread in the castle about the situation. A servant was sent ahead to send word to ring the bells, another one was sent to the town crier. The advisors were alerted that they had a new ruler, and Lissa sent for a golden circlet, one that resembled the Hero-King Marth's own.

While they were waiting for the bells to ring and for the doors of the balcony to open, Lucina's family discussed Frederick's revelation.

"What did he mean by that Uncle Stahl?" Owain asked.

"It's something I'm willing to find out for myself too. If I have Exalted blood, then it means that my brother and his daughters have them too. Frederick did ask me to look up a historical figure way back three years ago, about someone named Julia. I don't know the exact details, but Miriel is still researching on that," he answered.

"Miriel is in the war room, let us ask her the details later," Lucina said.

Lissa perused Frederick's journal as the others were speaking. "It says here, 'My lady Emmeryn has sent me on an impossible task of finding others with Exalted blood. After years of searching, I finally found Julia and Ulster's bloodline in Southtown when I was looking at the fiefdom's records. I will set up a recruitment drive and see if their family will send someone to the army. If not, I will have to recruit one from their house by force.'" She looked up from the journal and looked at Stahl. "Who are Julia and Ulster?"

They all looked at each other and shrugged.

"I do remember Frederick going to the apothecary one day to conscript me. Since my brother was already way too deep in the business and I was just a boy with nothing to do I ended up being a cavalier," Stahl answered.

Lissa continued reading. "'The boy shows promise. Even if he is unaware of his line, he is showing more competence with weaponry than with magic. Perhaps Julia's line was diluted down the centuries and her healing magic turned into apothecary instead. Or perhaps Ulster's line is stronger as he shows promise of being a Myrmidon. No matter, I will have him take the same disciplines as my Lord Chrom, for my ladies Emmeryn and Lissa cannot wield the Falchion. At this point, Stahl wielding the Falchion is only speculation. I have yet to test if the sword will choose him too.'"

"It all makes sense now," Lucina said. "That was Uncle Frederick's reason for assigning you to be my mentor when father was away. Or perhaps, he was planning treason and wanted to have you in the throne?"

"Don't worry Lucina, I don't have any designs on taking the throne away from you. I will always be your loyal knight," Stahl said.

"I thank you, Uncle Stahl. But if we understood this journal correctly, then I guess that makes you a distant relative," Lucina said. "We can even stretch it to calling you a Prince of Ylisse and we can legitimately call you uncle now, not just as a term of endearment."

"Well think about it Stahl," Lissa interjected. "We have always thought of each other as siblings, then there's our untamable hair, and most importantly your personality. It's similar to Emm's."

"Perhaps that's why she was kind to me," Stahl said.

"But can you wield Falchion?" Owain asked him.

"I guess I can. I used it to slice potatoes once," he answered shyly. "But I never really tried it for battle or anything. I did cut myself with it though."

"What?! That's a holy sword and you used it to slice potatoes?!" Lucina exclaimed. "I guess you really can wield it, because the legend says it becomes dull for those who are unworthy."

"I didn't think about the legend at the time," he answered sheepishly. "I was just trying to impress a girl with my cooking skills, but that failed."

"Who uses a sword to cook anyway?" Inigo asked, then reluctantly, "was it for mother?"

"We use when we're camping and we don't have knives around. And no, it was actually for Panne," Stahl answered sheepishly.

"Panne?!" Everyone exclaimed at the same time.

Stahl fidgeted, "t-that was before I met Olivia," he answered. "It didn't work out."

"Stahl, you dog! You always kept your relationships secret," Lissa said.

"Oh, so you like girls with - "

"It's nice that you understand, Inigo," Stahl said. "Those things are great."

"Enough!" Lucina exclaimed. She handed Stahl the Falchion and looked for something to cut. She pointed at a tapestry nearby and Stahl proceeded to slice it in half. "That was probably expensive," he said as he handed the sword back to Lucina.

Lissa rolled her eyes. "Then blah, blah, Emmeryn here, Emmeryn there… oh. This is something else entirely. Here is the reason why Ylisse invaded Plegia decades ago. Gods, Frederick wrote everything. He was nothing but meticulous! But I think that one is for the war council later." She thumbed through the journal until she arrived at the last written page. "It says here that… someone close to him killed Chrom…" She looked at Stahl. This was what they feared would happen three years ago.

The earth shook again and the bells of Naga's church rang. The doors to the balcony opened and Lucina took it as a cue to declare her new status. Outside the castle, a crowd gathered, waiting for an announcement from the royal family. Lucina stepped on a dais so that her people can see her better.

"The king is dead. Long live the queen!" a herald shouted for them. Lissa placed the golden circlet on her head. The newly crowned queen held the Falchion aloft for all to see and the crowd chanted "long live the queen!" over and over again.

* * *

Lucina has only been a queen for an hour but she already headed the war council. Inexperienced she may be, but she already had ideas on what to do about the oncoming storm. Of the old Shepherds, the ones who were left were with them were Lissa, Sully, Stahl, Vaike, Miriel, Kellam, Ricken, Panne, Gregor, Henry, Yen'fay and Tiki. After the Valmese war, Khan Flavia went back to Regna Ferox and has not been in communion with Ylisse ever since. She was probably fixing the void left by Khan Basilio three years ago. Anna was out there roaming and selling her wares, Libra was in his orphanage near Northroad and Donnel was back at the village in Farfort. He hasn't contacted any Shepherd for more than a month either.

When Lucina and her entourage entered the war room, they were bombarded with questions regarding Stahl's heritage.

Miriel sat on one corner and fixed her glasses. Lucina took that as indication that Miriel should explain everything. The mage gave them a history lesson about a man named Heim and his descendants and how they traveled all around the world. One man in particular stood out, and that was Seliph. He had a half-sister named Julia and the two of them established towns that were close to each other. Seliph made Ylisse and Julia made Southtown. Seliph's descendants were well known while Julia's descendants were content to be nondescript and lost to history.

"That is why I have found you different despite you saying that you are unremarkable," Tiki told Stahl. They did not interact a lot, but whenever they do, Tiki stared at him like he was one giant puzzle.

"Alright, I'm content with that answer. I hope you all are. If anybody's wondering, yes I can use the Falchion, Panne can confirm it. And no, I am not taking over the throne," Stahl announced.

Miriel smirked, "as logically predicted," she said.

"How Panne confirm this? Gregor has questions," Gregor said.

"That was before I met you," Panne answered. "He was trying to win me over with food. He used the Falchion to slice potatoes."

"What in the world Stahl?!" Sully asked. Kellam laughed beside her. He knew that story but he didn't think anything of it when he first heard it.

Lissa cleared her throat. "Frederick wrote something crucial in his journal. It was information that was given to him by Emmeryn herself regarding the war on Plegia many years ago. My father found out that the Grimleal were planning to revive Grima and they made a suitable vessel for the Fell Dragon. He waged it as a Holy War to destroy the vessel but they didn't find it and he sacrificed his life to try and save the world. The last lines of Frederick's journal said that the vessel killed… someone close to him… Grima took over the vessel and killed Chrom. Frederick was being vague…" Her tears threatened to fall, but she composed herself. 

The Shepherds who suspected Robin a long time ago exchanged meaningful glances. They looked at Morgan and Noire, both of them innocent of what their father did. It was astute of Lissa to protect them from that knowledge. Better let them think that their father died a hero.

"I would also like to make an investigation in Plegia. Though I hate to admit it, I assume that our loved ones all fell there, but I wanted to know who was responsible for my father's death," Lucina said.

"Who else would it be? It was that dastard - " Sully began, but Stahl gave her a meaningful look that stopped her. No, not in front of Noire and Morgan.

"Nya ha! I have an idea who. I bet he's out there plotting something nasty. Maybe I should've joined him and see what it's like to fight you guys," Henry said.

"Henry, we talked about this. This is the reason why they always bench you," Ricken said.

"That pillar of light outside must be the Grimleal reviving Grima," Tiki said. "I can feel it."

"Then... Chrom was used as a sacrifice," Miriel stated.

The Shepherds made a collective gasp.

"Please, everyone calm down," Lucina said. "There are other matters at hand. First of all, we have to consider that most of the Shepherds have perished in Plegia in a trap. With my father gone, we are expecting an invasion soon. So I will declare martial law," she said to the Shepherds, old and new.

"It is the only reasonable thing to do since we have no idea what is going to happen, and with that we need to tighten the capital's security. I will also assign you to new posts around the city. However, since we are expecting the worst, I need my own tactician." Lucina looked at Miriel.

"We should formulate a plan of course, but the knowledge I have is specifically in the field of theoretical thaumaturgy and science. Laurent has more practical applications than I do, and he already serves as your advisor. I suggest that the office go to him," Miriel answered.

Laurent's brows furrowed. "I'm inexperienced in war too, milady. I'm afraid I won't be much help in the upcoming battle."

"I suggest we fortify Ylisstol's defenses. We set up communications at strategic points in the city, with Pegasus Fliers for fast news delivery. We then send archers to man the walls and have beacons set up in the corners to warn us of oncoming attacks. Once we have them in place, we send signals to each other through drum beats, that way the enemy wouldn't intercept messages and commands. Since it is martial law, there will be a curfew at, perhaps, nine in the evening, for the civilians. One soldier will be assigned per block, and if we can't spare that many, then one soldier per two. Shift rotations will be every six hours. An immigration committee will be made and set up near the gates so that any refugees entering will be documented. Bam! We have order!" Morgan said as she hit the table to make a point.

"Okay, Morgan. Tell me again why I didn't hire you before?" Lucina asked her.

"I was twelve? I was too busy playing with Owain and Cynthia?"

"Fair enough. You are my tactician now," the queen answered. "I need volunteers for a reconnaissance mission. Uncle Frederick didn't come back with the Fire Emblem so the recon team will also serve to retrieve it. It will not be easy, but we have to know what we are up against," Lucina commanded.

Vaike raised his hand. "Ol' Teach needs to know what happened to Maribelle," he said. Sully raised her hand, then Panne, Ricken and Miriel followed. Their children protested vehemently.

"Should it be you? You have family here who needs you. Why can't it be those who have no one to live for? Like me?" asked Stahl.

"If you haven't heard Stahllion, you're needed here," Sully said. "Like Frederick said, you have to protect them. Now, aren't we Shepherds? Aren't we supposed to keep the peace?"

"Yes, but…"

"We're off to Plegia. We'll be back," Ricken said.

"Not yet, Lucina," Morgan interjected. "Sending people to Plegia right now is a suicide mission. You said so yourself, we are expecting an invasion. Let us fortify the city first."

Sully, Panne and Miriel took their rings off and gave it to their respective offspring. Vaike, who normally didn't show any sign of weakness, hugged Brady really tight. Miriel took off her hat and gave it to Laurent. Ricken ruffled Owain's hair and told him to name a special move in the name of the moon. Panne stopped Yarne's tears and told him to shape up.

They stood from their chairs and were about to leave the room when a wounded Anna barged in the war room.

"Libra is dead… his orphanage… gone. Risen… everywhere!" She shouted. The merchant looked like she escaped a pack of wolves just to get to Ylisstol then she collapsed. Yen'fay caught her and propped her up in a chair.

"Prithee, what other news dost thou have?" he asked. Brady healed Anna enough for her to catch her breath and talk properly.

"So many dead babies. Southtown is destroyed and an army of Risen is heading here…"

Everyone in the room panicked. They did not want to hear of any more news about their friends dying.


	11. The Siege of Ylisstol

Lucina clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "We have to defend Ylisstol. Morgan, what's the plan?"

"I need fliers to assess how long it will take for the Risen to get here. That assignment would fall on Cynthia since Pegasi are faster than wyverns. You need to make an estimated time of arrival and the volume of invaders. In the meantime, Uncle Stahl, get your paladins out of the city and head to the west of Ylisstol. You will be our cavalry from the west, but be very quiet and careful. Aunt Sully, get out of the city with your paladins as well. Be our cavalry from the south. Can someone get me a map of the city please?"

Laurent stood from his chair and followed Morgan's instructions. Morgan unfurled the map and tapped the spot where the city was drawn.

"Okay, here goes. What is our goal here? Don't let the city get run over by Risen. The city doesn't have a moat, doesn't have trenches and we're in the middle of a plain. We have no natural defenses and this will make it more difficult to defend, so we defend it by using the city as bait and have our paladins come from the outside and surprise pinch those undead mofos. But we will not leave the city as defenseless piece of meat. Nope. We'll still go with my initial idea of manning the walls with archers. This time, the mages should support them. And then we have our unmounted specialists defend the perimeter. That goes to you people," Morgan pointed at Vaike, Gregor, Yen'fay and after a bit of searching, Kellam. "One for each wall with the bulk of the defense in the south going to Uncle Kellam."

Everyone nodded. "For the paladins, enter the fray when Minervykins screeches thrice. Um… Gerome, can she do that if you command her?"

"Yes."

"Good then. Now let's see, what else… Oh! Aunt Lissa! We both know that we have a surplus of healing staves and potions here, right?"

"Right."

"Also, can you still ride a pegasus?"

"I still can."

"Good. I need you to lead a bunch of clerics who can ride a Pegasus in the battle. That would give us mobility and healing at once. The Falcon Knights would do several jobs. You would be our medics, our communications line, our air cavalry and transportation."

Lissa nodded.

"Okay, the rest of us have to defend the citadel with Lucina, just in case the Risen get in."

"It sounds… er, sound…" Owain said.

"If there are no more objections, then let's roll!" Morgan commanded.

* * *

 

"There they are," Lucina said when she saw the hordes of Risen make their way to the Ylisstol. She rode with Cynthia on Sumia’s Pegasus, Daisy. Lucina clung on tightly to Cynthia's waist and urged the girl to fly around the perimeter of the castle.

"Golly! That's a lot! How much do you suppose are there?" Cynthia asked her.

"I don't know. Probably around five thousand. They outnumber us greatly, we have to report to Morgan," Lucina answered. Cynthia steered her Pegasus towards the castle's central beacon where Morgan and a drummer boy stood waiting for them. Near her were Lissa's quadruple duty clerics and a giant war drum.

"Morgan," Lucina began, "We are outnumbered five to one, and the horde will be here soon. Are all preparations in order?"

"Yes, milady," Morgan answered. "We're only waiting for them to be in range." She used Laurent's marvelous invention, a telescope, to see where the horde was coming from. It came from the south as expected. "Ready…" she told the drummer boy as she raised her hand. The Risen were just within firing range of the archers. "Not just yet…” The drummer boy’s sweat dropped in anticipation. “Now!"

The drummer boy struck two beats. The archers in the walls let their first volley of arrows fly. It fell on some of the Risen but the horde was just too big for the arrows to make any effect.

"Again!" Morgan commanded and the drummer boy struck the drum twice. A second volley of arrows was let loose. Some Risen went up in purple smoke.

The tactician noticed the enemy cavaliers advancing. "Beat once," and a single drumbeat was heard.

The knights under General Kellam readied their spears and prepared for the oncoming rush of undead horses. Three drumbeats meant 'stand your ground'. The undead horses were spooked by the sudden spears that were pointed towards them. They buckled and let some of the riders fall. Kellam took it as an opportunity to attack the unhorsed cavaliers.

Four beats readied the mages. Five meant they should attack. The mages in the south wall was headed by Miriel. They aimed their magic flames at the cavaliers that weren't unhorsed. Volley after volley of fire balls toasted the undead cavaliers.

It was effective but Kellam's unit still showed signs of weakening.

Six beats stopped the archers from attacking. Morgan issued the command to open the south gates and send in the Falcon Knights to heal Kellam's unit. "Heal them and return," she said. When the fliers came back, Lissa reported that the archers were running out of arrows and the mages' tomes were falling apart.

"Cynthia, send word to the archers in the east to rotate with the south, and to conserve their arrows by aiming only at the barbarians or mages that they see. They should not engage with any armored enemy," Morgan said.

"Aye aye ma'am!"

"Somebody get me Laurent," Morgan commanded. One of Lissa's Falcon Knights fetched the mage. She returned with a winded looking mage who held onto his mother's hat. "Laurent, what is the status of our supplies and weaponry?" Morgan asked him.

"Low. Most of the weapons which can hold against the horde are with our paladins. The city itself only has bronze weapons in reserve for those fighting in the perimeters. As for our arrows, they are getting low, but not at dangerous levels. Our mages are wise enough to pick their targets from the beginning and the ones they are using are the basic tomes," he answered. "I estimate that we can last a day against the horde."

Morgan gritted her teeth. It was still too soon to send in the cavalry. She cannot send a group of people outside the city to get supplies from the nearest village as she doesn't know if those villages were destroyed by the Risen horde too. She cannot send a messenger to either Stahl or Sully to head to the nearest village to resupply their stocks. That would mean spending the cavalry’s strength and they might not be there when they were needed.

Cynthia came back from her mission. "I did what you told me but there's some grave news. The wall to the north is falling and Uncle Gregor is… gone. Uncle Vaike's unit is thinning as well. The west is doing surprisingly well, I guess because Uncle Yen'fay has had experience with leading an army. Uncle Kellam’s unit seems to be better after the healing."

"What enemy units are fighting in the north?"

"Armored knights and archers. In the east we have mercenaries and myrmidons."

"Ok. Here we go. Send word to Uncle Ricken and Henry. Have Uncle Ricken lead dark knights to the north. Get word to Uncle Henry and have him head east with tricksters to support them. Get Aunt Miriel’s mages to switch places with Noire’s archers. Then have the mages to the east to focus their firepower there. Go Cynthia, go! Go! Go!" Morgan commanded.

Morgan was getting exhausted. She didn't think that guiding an army would be this stressful. "Ugh! If only we had anti-siege weapons."

A Falcon Knight came with news from the south. Kellam's unit was thinning the cavaliers. All that was needed was to route the enemies there and she can get Kellam to assist Vaike to the east.

The tides of battle turned once more. The enemy cavaliers at the south retreated from the south, but they headed towards the east and assisted their myrmidons. Vaike and Henry were in trouble, and Morgan couldn’t spare Kellam’s unit just yet. The south gate couldn’t be unguarded as a company of Valkyries and sages came and attacked the south.

"If I may," Laurent said. "Why don't we pour boiling oil on the enemies?" He asked Morgan.

"We can't. We have knights fighting at the perimeter. They will be affected too. But I like that suggestion. I will use it when we pull out our knights. Send word to the north wall," Morgan said to a falcon knight. "Have them boil cauldrons of oil and be ready."

Morgan commanded the drummer to strike eight. The air cavalry flew through the air and went south, armed with javelins and short spears. “Attack the magic users at the south, then head east. Ignore the north as there are archers there.”

Lucina patted Morgan's back. "You are doing well Morgan. Thank you."

Cynthia returned with more news. "Owain is missing. I think he headed to the north to help his father."

Lissa rode her Pegasus when she heard the news and headed off alone to the north wall to search for her son. "Aunt Lissa!" Lucina screamed, but Lissa was too far away to hear her.

Morgan pulled her hair in frustration. "Gods damn that idiot! He's inexperienced! Ugh!" she screamed.

* * *

 

Owain's heart beat fast when he entered the throng of battle. This was the best time to put his sword hand to good use, especially when his father was sent out to defend the gates.

It was exceedingly overwhelming!

 There was so much chaos that he didn't know what to do. All he wanted to do was get the pointy tip of his sword through a Risen's heart but the soldiers in front of him were making a human shield for him when they recognized who he was. He tried to join them, but he was pushed back.

His heart leapt when a mercenary in front of him was pierced by a knight's lance. This was the first death that happened in front of his eyes and the horror of it was forever imprinted in his memory.

Owain was brought back to his senses when a mercenary bumped into him. Now was his chance. He readied his sword, jumped in the place of the fallen mercenary, and engaged the Risen. With two swift strikes, he attacked but those were deflected by the enemy’s heavy armor. The undead knight took its spear out of the dead mercenary when he noticed Owain. It thrust its spear towards the young man, but Owain was quick enough to doge. He attacked again, this time aiming for the cracks in the armor, but his reach was too short to get in the armored knight’s defense. He had to get closer.

The knight waved its lance in a circular motion in the air and aimed for him. Owain saw the steel head glint in the sunlight as it drove towards him.

This is it. His first battle and he dies in it.

He waited for the impact of the weapon but he was shoved to the side by a horse. "Look out!" he heard someone shout. The lance was deflected by someone on a horse, and when he looked at the rider, he saw that it was his father. Ricken used his strength to push the lance away from his son by using a sword. He was at a disadvantage but he managed to pull through. When he found an opening, he blasted the knight with a fire spell. The enemy evaporated into thin air.

"What are you doing here?" Ricken asked him.

"I came to help!" Owain answered.

"Go back to the citadel. We can handle this," his father told him.

Ricken stood his ground and blasted all enemies who tried to come close to his son.

"I can fight too, father!"

"Not in this area you can't. Go back Owain."

But he didn't listen. Owain stood up, readied his sword, and watched his father's back. The Risen archers let a volley of their arrows lose and the dark knights answered that attack with a volley of their fireballs. The defense wasn't going well. The enemy was overwhelming the dark knights. "Cavalry!" the dark knights shouted, hoping that a Falcon Knight might hear them and report to the tactician.

They pushed back the Risen knights with all of their might, but the lances and the arrows were proving too much for them. The mercenaries couldn't get past the wall of armored undead to get through to the archers, and the dark knights' abilities were spreading thin as they battled two kinds of monsters at once. To top it off, their fire tomes were falling apart.

Owain just stood there, feeling useless. His father did most of the fighting and defending, not just for him, but for his comrades.

"Watch out!" Ricken shouted. He blocked an oncoming arrow that was meant for Owain with his body.

"Father! No!"

Ricken could still fight. He blasted a knight in front of him. At that moment Lissa came with her Pegasus and saw the sticking out of Ricken’s shoulder. "Gods! Ricken!"

Another arrow pierced Ricken's body.

Lissa screamed. Her husband was dying right in front of her eyes.

"Lissa… there are archers here," he said. "Take Owain and go."

Lissa raised her staff to heal her husband's minor wounds. Owain wanted to pull the arrows out of his father's shoulder but the moment he made a step, Lissa grabbed him and hauled him up the Pegasus with her. She then flew to the knight who was nearest Ricken, then pierced the monster with her lance. It wasn't enough to topple the Risen knight.

The knight attacked and Ricken shielded his family from it. The lance went right through Ricken's stomach, spraying his family with his blood.

"Ricken!" Lissa screamed.

Ricken took one last look at them and smiled. "Go," he said. Then he faced the enemy. With his last ounce of strength, he made a gigantic wall of flame to separate his family from the battle and used it to burn his enemies. He was able to take a few Risen down, and that last ditch effort thinned the enemy ranks.

The Risen archers let a volley of arrows loose once more. Lissa used her pegasus’ speed to avoid the arrows, flew low and escaped with Owain. She looked back and saw three more lances pierce her husband's lifeless body.

 


	12. Enemy at the Gates

Stahl watched the battle from his hiding place. He looked for the telltale signs of dying Risen, but he didn't see the purple smoke often enough. It looked grim for Ylisse and he wondered why the cavalry hasn't been called yet.

"Sir, should we trust our tactician? She is inexperienced and it looks like the city will fall," his lieutenant told him.

"Our queen put her faith on Morgan, as did I," Stahl said. But he hoped that Minerva's signal would come soon. He saw the giant wall of fire that erupted to the north, and wondered what that was. Stahl cringed when he realized that something wrong happened at the city gates, but the cavalry still wasn’t called. _‘Sully must be antsy by now,’_ he thought

Then there it was: Minerva's screeches. "Onward!" Stahl shouted.

His unit rode towards the battle to rendezvous with Yen'fay's force to the west. On the way there, they were met by a lone Wyvern Rider. It was Gerome, and he gently slid Minerva next to Stahl.

"Gerome, what are you doing here? No, how did you get here?"

"I avoided the archers by flying over the west wall. I bear news. Our Falcon knights are starting to spread thin with healing and communication. I am helping them with the latter. There's also been a change of plans. Reinforce the north wall since help is needed there. Cynthia was sent to Aunt Sully so she can support the east. Uncle Kellam is routing the enemies to the south and Uncle Yen'fay is holding his ground."

Stahl nodded, “got it. Be safe,” he told Gerome. The boy left and flew back into the city.

"Men! To the north!" Stahl commanded. He led his unit to the north and saw the devastation that the Risen did there.

"Lances!" He shouted. The paladins readied their lances and reached the north gate. They attacked the undefended Risen archers from behind.

Ylisse was finally fighting back. Once the paladins cleared the archers, Falcon Knights swooped in from inside the city to heal the remaining mercenaries and dark knights at the north gate. They pulled back the wounded inside the city gates for a respite. Stahl saw Ricken's body propped up by three lances and Gregor's lifeless one near the gate.

He cursed what happened to his friends. Deep in anger, Stahl commanded his unit to make short work of the Risen knights.”You are so dead!” He shouted as he drove his lance straight into an undead knight’s helmet.

"Paladins, stand back! We're gonna pour oil on them!" A Falcon Knight announced from the walls. Stahl had his force retreat gradually and switched their equipment from lances to throwing weapons. They attacked the knights at a range, and even if that didn't damage the enemy that much, it was enough to buy time for all of the paladins to be on the safer side.

Boiling oil was poured on the remaining knights and a lot of the Risen evaporated on the spot. Stahl's unit switched back to lances and continued their attack to route the remaining knights once the oil stopped pouring.

Gerome appeared from the north gate and this time he helped deal some damage on the knights. "I have a message from Morgan," he said. "Please split your company into thirds. One should remain to defend the north, the other should assist Uncle Yen'fay and the other one for Uncle Kellam."

“Why did we stop using the drummer?”

“The commands are getting more complicated,” Gerome said. “Direct communication is still more effective according to Morgan.”

Stahl did as he was told. He left his lieutenant to hold the north, gave a third to his captain to help out Yen’fay, and led the rest of his units to where Kellam was.

He desperately looked for his friend amidst the attacking Risen. Kellam’s unit was faced by myrmidons and sword masters once the magic users were wiped out. It shouldn't be too much of a problem for spear users.

Stahl cleared a path of enemies with his lance towards an empty spot in the distance. _‘that could only be where Kellam is’_ , and he was right. His friend appeared before his eyes when he was five armlengths away.

The paladin supported his friend who was about to get mobbed by charging a myrmidon through with his lance. The Risen evaporated in front of Kellam. "How are you holding up?" Stahl asked the general.

"We can stand them, but we are getting weary. These monsters are tireless and they keep coming in waves," Kellam answered.

"Fall back, we will handle this."

"Thanks man, but I'll stay with you." Kellam commanded two-thirds of his unit to fall back through the south gate. A third of Sully's paladins arrived to reinforce them and together they slaughtered the oncoming Risen.

Stahl heard tiny jingling bells that were rather uncharacteristic in a battlefield. It distracted him a bit, but he continued fighting.

The Risen sword masters attacked the paladins' horses. Once they were unhorsed, the paladins went into the same formation as the armored knights. They made a lance wall to deflect the oncoming swordsmen. They did not expect the swordmasters to know how to pass through ranks, making the lance wall useless.

It became a free for all in the south.

"Group in threes! Isolate the swordmasters!" Stahl commanded. His paladins followed his command. Stahl was supported by Kellam and a knight as they took on one swordmaster after another.

The jingling sound got louder as his group tore through the enemies.

Stahl froze when he saw Olivia with red glowing eyes, killing his paladins and Kellam’s knights.

He has heard reports of dead family and loved ones coming back as Risen and wreaking havoc, but he did not expect that to happen to him. He did not want to see Olivia like this and it broke his heart all over again.

She turned her attention to the single unmoving target in the battlefield. She launched an attack and slashed at Stahl's horse several times.

"Stahl!" Kellam shouted as the stallion buckled and threw his rider off.

Olivia hacked at the horse to make sure it was dead and then turned her attention towards Stahl.

Stahl looked blankly at his former lover. "Olivia… why?" He asked, not her, but the gods. All fight went out of him and he couldn't lift his lance anymore. He just sat on the ground and stared at her face, her glowing red eyes and the tiny bells that were attached to her scarf. "Olivia…" he couldn't say anything.

Olivia raised her sword and struck at Stahl, but she was stopped by a lance through the guts. "Stahl! Get a hold of yourself!" Kellam shouted.

Olivia inched towards Stahl while the lance was still imbedded in her body. She raised her sword again but Kellam's knight disarmed her.

"That is no longer her, Stahl. She died three years ago. Stahl, please…" Kellam pleaded. "If I take my lance away, she will attack you. You are still needed here… and Olivia is gone, Stahl. She's gone."

Stahl gripped his lance and steeled himself. Kellam was right as always. "Olivia… sorry about this, but…" he said through tears, "you will continue to suffer as long as you remain standing. I hope… I hope this second death can offer you more peace than the first…"

He pierced Olivia's heart with his lance. She reached out for him and Stahl wanted to touch her just one more time, but she was insubstantial and his fingers only touched purple smoke. He watched her die in front of him again.

The paladin didn't know what happened next.

He came to inside the city gates with a Falcon Knight healing his Kellam beside him.

"Stahl, you moron," Kellam said. "I’m sorry I said that but you’re mean to me sometimes. But dammit you moron! You deserve to be called one today."

"I-I wasn't ready for that, you dastard…" He answered. "she just… the gods must hate me Kellam! She died in front of me again! And I had her killed again. I hate this battle… I really, really…" He covered his face with his hands.

"Buddy, now is not the time. It's getting dark and there's still a horde out there."

"But Kellam, you don’t know how it feels. Your family is still intact, you still have someone to live for. Me, I have no one left. My brother and his family is gone, Olivia is gone. Why am I still alive?"

"For your new family, of course. Lissa and the kids need you. And Ylisse still needs a strong prince to defend her as Inigo is too young and too much of a flirt to take care of that responsibility. Come on, live Stahl. Remember what Lucina said?"

"Hope will never die.” The paladin smiled.

“That’s the Stahl I know. Frowning is just not you,” Kellam said.

“You've been a great help, you big oaf. I hope I haven't been too much of a nuisance."

Kellam laughed. "Every time I give you an advice, you say this." He patted Stahl on the back. "Come, let's get back to battle, dork."

* * *

The north gate completely fell. As a last ditch attempt by the dark knights to save the city, they lit the north entrance on fire. This would've been fine if their enemies were alive, but the Risen were relentless and they did not care to get singed. The enemies breached the walls and all hell broke loose.

Miriel retreated from her post in the north walls, gathered her mages and stood her ground in the middle of the streets to greet the oncoming Risen. "Here is our final effort to defend the city. To battle!" The mages who surrounded Miriel chanted in unison. Miriel weaved the magic in the air into the largest casting circle the world has ever seen.

Laurent spied where his mother and the rest of the mages were, from his telescope. "Morgan, I know what they are doing. That spell is untested. We cannot guarantee its safety or its success. Why are you risking this?"

"The Risen army has breached our gates. Right now, I am just trying to throw everything at them just so they couldn't get in the citadel. I am willing to risk this untested spell rather than have the citizens die on my watch. What would you do in my stead?" Morgan asked him.

"I'm afraid I have no proper response to that. The scenario can go both ways and both will only result in death," he answered. His palms became sweaty and he adjusted his glasses. "Given a chance, I would prefer the scenario with fewer casualties of course."

"Even if it means risking your mother?"

Laurent reluctantly nodded. “I am signing her death warrant, true, but even if my mother would not deign to admit it, she cares about the people of Ylisse. It was of her own conscious action that she chose to use this spell now. She would sacrifice herself to safeguard the people, and if given the choice to do it again, she would choose the same option.”

Morgan sighed. "I understand. Laurent, I don't know what it is that happened in Plegia. The adults are telling us vague things, and we know it. They are hiding something horrible from us, but I don’t care. What I do know is that the Plegians are resurrecting a dragon, Uncle Chrom was killed by someone close to him, and we are defending this city from a Risen invasion. And my priority is to keep this city alive because that's the only thing I can do. I cannot change the past, so I’m focusing on the present. But if I could change it, I would go back and stop them from going into that trap."

"Understood," Laurent said.

The two of them looked at the massive casting circle. Laurent’s mother called it "Aoe" and the spell affected a wider range of targets rather than just a single enemy. Ricken simply called it "area of effect". With one giant blast of light that activated the spell, tons of Risen were wiped out. The surrounding houses caught fire from the blast and the survivors ran around the streets screaming.

Ylisstol burned deep into the night.

Laurent gripped his mother's hat as he looked at the scenes from his telescope. He did not see signs of Miriel anywhere. For all he knew, she could've escaped the blast. Laurent believed in evidence, and if there was no evidence of his mother dying, he clung on to hope.

More Risen went inside the gate and killed everything in sight.

Morgan didn’t need the telescope to know what was happening down at the streets. She touched the drummer boy's shoulder. "Beat twelve," she said reluctantly. It was the signal for retreat into the citadel.

She sighed then shook her head. Her father wouldn’t make such stupid mistakes. Laurent patted her back. Where did she go wrong?

* * *

The south gates opened.

Kellam and Stahl's combined faction entered the city through the south gates while battling the Risen that came with them. Yen'fay used the south gate as well and supported the knights who went before him. Sully, Vaike and Henry used the north gate to enter the city.

Inside, the soldiers struggled to keep the citadel safe. Axe carrying Risen managed to get past the city’s defense and into the castle. Lucina awaited them in the Great Hall with her friends and her soldiers.

 _"Don't aim for the weapon, aim for the body,"_ Chrom’s teachings resounded in her head. The axe fighters were prone to raising their weapons in the air and left their torsos wide open. Their lack of armor also made them easier to kill. The queen let the Falchion sing in her hands, milling one Risen after another. She dodged, minded her footing, minded her grip. She thrusted the Falchion right through an enemy’s heart. “I will not watch another Ylissean life be taken!”

Inigo ran towards Lucina and hacked at the nearest fighter. "I have your back," the prince said to Lucina. The queen nodded. She struck at an axe fighter's side, Inigo stabbed the fighter. "Have another!" He shouted, and Lucina finished off the Risen scum. Kjelle assisted them and partnered with Inigo. "I have this, go Lucina! Others need you," she said.

Lucina ran off to defend her soldiers. She saw someone pinned against the wall by a Risen fighter and she thrust The Falchion through the undead's back. "I believe the woman you want… is me!" She pulled her sword and the monster dissipated. "We can't let these things win. Now grab a sword… and fight!" The soldier nodded and went back into the fray.

The Queen hacked and slashed at anything with red eyes. A door in the Great Hall opened and Laurent came in with Morgan. They left their position in the central beacon to join in the melee. The mage opened his tome, tore a page and cast a wind spell against the enemies near him. Morgan picked up a sword and attacked all those who came too close to Laurent's range.

Lucina was alone and was getting mobbed in the distance. “To the queen,” Laurent said. They made their way to Lucina and Laurent cleared the enemies surrounding her with one giant gale. “Go handle this. Noire needs protection,” Morgan said as she ran to look for her sister.

"Laurent…" she said, "thank you for being with me."

"I'm at your side, milady. Now let's clean this up!" he shouted. His magic made short work of the Risen that came near Lucina. They worked in tandem, instinctively figuring out the best way to wipe out the enemies.

A deafening roar resounded throughout the city. Suddenly, part of the castle walls near Lucina crashed just before a Risen fighter was about to strike her. When the dust cleared, the fighters inside the castle looked up to see the inky sky hidden by scales. The moon and the stars were replaced by six enormous red lights. She was rooted to her spot and time stood still as those lights moved closer to the earth, getting bigger with each waking moment.

All around her, the battle to cleanse Ylisse of Risen scum went on. Lucina came to her senses, picked herself up, and readied her sword.

"So ends the human race…" a voice that sounded like it came from the grave said."The future is built upon the past… but your kind shall never see it."

She turned to the direction of where the voice came from and the giant eerie lights stooped to her level. Her heart beat faster from being too near it.

"Your mother and father… are dead tiny one," it said.

Lucina pointed her sword at it. She didn’t let the abomination’s trash talk faze her.

The ground shook, and the abomination laughed and laughed until its diabolical noise was the only thing that was heard in the whole city.

"And now it is your turn… to die!" it opened its massive jaw and threatened to eat her. The queen faced it with her sword and steely determination. She shouted as she stood her ground and attacked.


	13. Manakete

Laurent pushed Lucina away from the abomination's massive jaws. "Do watch out," he told Lucina.

The queen picked herself up from the ground and readied herself for another attack. She didn't know how to fight that monster, but she was willing to try. Before she could attack, Laurent cast a succession of wind spells, hoping that it would be effective as he targeted a flying unit. All that his spells did was clear the fog and the dust.

The abomination opened its jaw again and Lucina saw light coalescing in its mouth. Laurent did not take any chances to find out what that was. He grabbed Lucina’s hand and took her as far away as possible from that “thing”.

In one fell move, the monster breathed fire. It leveled the rest of the castle, Risen and soldiers dying in its wake.

Lucina looked around her. Her country was no more.

"What kind of a queen can't defend her own country?" she asked herself. She looked for higher ground, climbed the rubble that piled up near the abomination, and launched herself to attack the monster. Her sword connected to one of its legs, but it didn't even leave a scratch on a scale.

She fell from a great height, still clutching the Falchion in her hands. Scenes of her short eighteen years of life passed before her eyes.

 _Chrom teaching her how to walk._  
Chrom teaching her how to properly hold a sword when they played as knights.  
Chrom teaching her how to respect everyone and value life.  
Chrom teaching her how to be a proper human being first to be a good leader.  
  


Lucina was about to accept death, when cool winds surrounded her and gently carried her to the ground. She saw Laurent on the ground, his hand still raised and controlling the wind for her. He let go of his spell when she was about a foot away from the cracked castle floor.

The two of them heard the sound of footsteps and rubble being thrown haphazardly on Risen fighters. They looked to the direction of the rampage and saw two ladies in red running towards them. "Lady Tiki!" Lucina shouted.

Anna and Tiki assisted the soldiers in the grand melee. “Go Tiki!” Anna shouted. “I can handle this.” The merchant who was a part time Shepherd dodged incoming attacks from the Risen fighters. She covered Tiki’s back as she killed whatever undead thing got near them.

Tiki raised a glowing stone in the air and transformed into a dragon. Everyone were in awe at the small pearlescent dragon that flew to the skies and challenged the darkness.

"Not one step closer!" she shouted at the abomination. She breathed fire and her adversary backed off. She flew higher in the air and aimed at her flaming breath at the monster's muzzle. "I am the last of the divine dragons. Come no closer fell being!"

The abomination in the sky hovered for a moment, considering if it will continue its onslaught in the city. Tiki blasted it again with her breath.

The monster retreated, "this is not the end!"it exclaimed as it flew away. Upon hearing those words, the Risen in Ylisstol did not fight to their full potential. The soldiers made short work of them and Tiki resumed her Manakete form. She landed on a patch of rubble near Lucina.

* * *

 

"What was that?" She asked Tiki.

"That was the Fell Dragon, Grima."

Lucina's jaw dropped. That thing was revived at the cost of her father's life? And for what? For the destruction on the world? She gripped the Falchion in her hand tighter.

"We have no hopes of defeating that eldritch horror as we are now. Let us regroup and formulate a plan," Laurent said.

A huge piece of rubble was overturned near them, and Inigo, Kjelle, Morgan, and Noire emerged behind it. Blood was trickling down Kjelle's mouth and Morgan helped her take off her armor's shoulder guards so she could breathe easier. Brady, who was busy healing from the distance, saw them and rushed to Kjelle's aid.

"What now, Lucy?" Inigo asked his sister.

"Laurent is right. Let's regroup and rest a bit. Lady Tiki, is it alright if we may ask for your assistance to scout for other able-bodied humans out there? You guys,” she turned to her friends, “help in the search. We rendezvous here, soldiers and civilians at dawn," Lucina commanded.

The rest of them did as they were told. Inigo stayed behind a little longer. He put his hands on his hips and shook his head. “Well, there goes our castle," he said as he looked at the rubble that was once a majestic palace. "There goes our land," he said as he saw the burning buildings outside. "There goes our people," he said when he saw stragglers heading towards the castle ruins. He walked towards Lucina and gave her a tight hug. In that moment, Lucina broke down and cry as she hugged her brother tightly. She felt all of the day’s stress fall on her.

"Come on Lucy, it might be the apocalypse but we're still alive. We still have humans to defend from that dastard of a dragon."

"Inigo, we have nothing left. I'm a failure as a queen."

"Lucy, you’ve only been queen for a day. You're only a failure if you keep saying you are. Come now, sister dear," he wiped her tears away. "Let's look for people to help. That’s what father would’ve wanted."

They wandered the city while trying to avoid burning things from falling on them. Every once in a while, they saw their friends carrying soldiers or civilians to the castle ruins. Gerome had somebody unconscious on Minerva with him, and on closer inspection, they realized that he was carrying Yen'fay. They saw Sully crying over a lifeless Kellam, Vaike being treated by his child Brady, and Stahl trying to maintain the order by stopping people from looting, and telling them to head to the castle instead. Severa assisted him and those who didn't comply, received a scolding from her. Noire was beside her, being the nice reasonable being, but they received a dose of her dark side when they didn't follow Stahl or Severa's instruction. Henry, Anna and Lissa ran around healing anyone within their range, and Yarne came running towards them in his Taguel form with a bunch of healing staves attached to his back. Once he got his cargo off, some people rode on him to get to the castle. Cynthia and Owain dug though rubble to look for people who were trapped underneath them.

Lucina and Inigo came across the small community that the queen made three years ago. Nothing was left of it now. She sighed deeply and her brother patted her back. "Let's go back, Inigo."

They went back to the castle ruins. Once there, it was just pure chaos. People ran around shouting the names of their loved ones, children cried on the floor, some of them were nearly trampled by the crowd who formed around Lucina. They saw that Laurent and Morgan set up a table for inquiries regarding missing people, but only a few people took advantage of it. Fights erupted over clerics. The people who demanded that they seek medical attention first tried to take away the clerics who were needed somewhere else. Some of the clerics needed attention too from being harassed. Nobody listened to reason and the soldiers were finding it hard to maintain order. Lucina shouted for everybody to calm down, but everyone’s voice was raised that her shouts were largely ignored.

Lucina has never seen that much people in the castle before. The refugee situation three years ago was just a practice, and she had help. This time, she's the one who had to organize things from scratch. "What a mess," she said.

* * *

 

It took two days to sort out things in the castle. With a good speech here and there, Lucina was able to get the people to cooperate with the Shepherds. Missing people were handled by Cynthia and Gerome. Complaints were handled by Stahl and Sully. Laurent and Anna took care of maintaining the provisions. Lissa and Henry took care of injuries. Henry wasn't that good with healing people, but his fascination with blood made him like his current job a bit. Vaike and Yen'fay were in charge of keeping the peace, with the rest of the Shepherds doing shifts in helping the others out.

When there was a little semblance of peace, Stahl went to Lucina after his shift. "Lucina, I am worried about Donnel and Nah. We haven't heard anything from the Farfort for a long time and I'm scared that… Grima must've done something there. I have to know if they're okay," he said. "I also have to deliver this." He showed her Nowi's ring in the palm of his hand. "Donnel might not know what happened to Nowi. He deserves to know, Lucina. I can't let them hope for nothing."

Lucina nodded. "I have been thinking about sending out people to the other villages to look for survivors and supplies anyway. Very well, Uncle Stahl, you can have the first rescue mission."

"Thanks, milady."

"No need to call me that. You need to take someone with you. The roads are dangerous and full of Risen," she answered.

Morgan, who was nearby, heard the conversation. "Lucina, the Farfort is an islet. I think it's best if Uncle Stahl take Cynthia and Gerome with him. There are no roads that go directly from Ylisstol to Farfort and they can cut the travel time if they do it through air."

"Yes. It normally takes a week's worth of travel from here, to Southtown and the Farfort on horseback. With those two around, we will be back in days. And don't worry about us taking a healer. I'm prepared, and I can just make potions for us along the way if ever we run out," he said.

"Alright, I trust your judgment. Come back to us in one piece, okay?" Lucina said.

"I will."

* * *

 

That afternoon, Cynthia, Gerome, and Stahl headed out on the new route that Morgan made for them. They were packed with potions, but their weapons were in poor shape. If the three of them got hungry, all that Stahl had to do was hunt for something to eat. He wasn't that good at archery, but he knew enough to catch pheasants and rabbits. He taught Gerome and Cynthia the necessary camping and survival skills, like skinning a rabbit, the proper way to make a campfire and how to pitch a tent. Gerome picked up things easily and already knew how to pluck feathers from a bird thanks to helping out Cherche in the kitchen, but Cynthia was terrible at camping, just like her mother. At night, before they went to bed, Cynthia told the men stories about her exploits with Owain (and occasionally Gerome) at their group called The Justice Cabal. "I am Beano, the Barbarian Queen!" she shouted. "Have a taste of my justice! Take my ire, fire! " she exclaimed as she poked the fire. "Come on Gerome, remember who you are. Who you truly are!" she urged the wyvern rider.

Stahl raised his eyebrow. "Yes, indulge us a bit. Why so serious? Have a little fun."

"I… I am the night…" Gerome reluctantly said.

Stahl and Cynthia burst out laughing. There was something about an all too serious Gerome having a different persona that was just funny.

"Oh gosh, this is the first time I laughed since… since… well it doesn't matter!" Cynthia said, then she hugged Gerome.

Gerome pursed his lips and pushed Cynthia away. He took out a mask from his pack and put it on his face.

"Hey, that's your mask from the harvest festival three years ago," Cynthia said. "You look so cool with that mask on, you know. I know! Say that you are the night again while wearing that mask!"

"What do you care?" he asked Cynthia.

"Uh, nothing!” Cynthia smirked then turned to the other man. “Hey Uncle Stahl, did you know that Gerome's also in the No Fun Club? It's like the opposite of Justice Cabal. He's a permanent member there with Laurent and Lucina."

"There's no such club," Gerome answered.

"There is. Owain and I made it for you three, you just didn’t know it. Anyway, I just think the mask looks really cool on you. You look like the perfect hero," she said.

"I am no hero," he answered.

"But you already are. You will be rescuing Nah with us, and that's what heroes do. Even if you say you don't like being a hero, you'll do it just the same. That's what I love about you!" Cynthia said.

"W-wha – "

"I'm pooped. I'm gonna go to sleep," she said. Stahl noticed her habit of ignoring things that were not beneficial to her arguments. 

Cynthia poked the fire one last time then headed for her tent.

Stahl laughed again. Kids were so easy to read. "You better sleep Gerome, we have a full day tomorrow. Oh and, the mask does look cool. I guess if it's your way to hide your feelings from Cynthia, then it's fine by me. Well, why else would you indulge her with Justice Cabal and letting her teach you how to fly?"

"Uncle Stahl! No. I don't wear this just for Cynthia's sake. The truth is…"

"I get it Gerome. You don't want to be close to anyone anymore in case something like losing someone happens again. I understand.”

“She loves Owain,” he answered.

Stahl shook his head. “Cynthia and Owain are like Sully and me. We’re always together, we do the same things but we were never in love,” said Stahl. “But then again, I haven’t spent much time with them to know exactly. And then there’s Lucina.”

“Laurent loves her,” Gerome said.

“What have you gotten yourself into, boy?” Stahl asked.

“You were no better with girls when you were young.”

“Touché. Oh well, go to sleep," Stahl said with a smile.

"Just don't tell anyone about this conversation." Gerome headed to his tent. Stahl nodded.

Some Risen wandered into camp, but they were not too much of a threat. Stahl dispatched them with his sword, and he didn't bother waking his companions up. When dawn came, they resumed their journey to Farfort. Stahl rode with Gerome on Minerva's back as Cynthia's Pegasus was a little skittish around men.

The cool wind made Stahl fall fast asleep, and he was woken up by Gerome when he was about to fall off the winged mount.

The trio saw the islet from a distance. The ruins of the fort stood eerily quiet like it always has when the Shepherds first met Donnel there. Stahl noted that his buddy the boatman was missing and the small port was ruined.

"This does not look good," Gerome said. His hand went to his axe, ready to draw it at any second. Stahl unhooked his bow from his back and looked around for enemies from his viewpoint. Cynthia landed her Pegasus gingerly and gripped her lance in fear. They resumed their flight to Donnel's village and what they saw made them take a deep breath. It was in ruins like Ylisstol, but the devastation here wasn't as apparent. Some of the houses were still intact, particularly the ones to the north.

Stahl's hopes went up. That's where Donnel's house was.

"I'll scout ahead," Stahl said. He dismounted Minerva, knocked an arrow to his bow and kept the string taut. He carefully walked down the streets to see if there were any signs of Risen. _‘So far so good,’_ he mumbled.

Stahl headed to Donnel's house and was relieved to see it still standing. He lowered his weapon a bit to knock on the door but no one was answering. He pushed to see if it was open, and his sense of foreboding crept up when he found out that it was. He took a peek inside and saw that the furniture were overturned and everything that could be broken was shattered on the floor

"Donnel! Nah!" he called. Stahl was beginning to panic. He opened a bedroom door to see if there was someone there. He was greeted by the smell of a rotting corpse, and after stopping his gag reflex, he saw Donnel's mother, dead on the floor. There were dried bloodstains on the bed. _'She must've fought back,'_ Stahl thought.

He ran outside and ran to the wheat field at the back. Donnel's crops were dying and he knew his friend would never neglect his crops. "Donnel!" He shouted. "Donnel, answer me!" He ran through the field, hoping to find his friend. He couldn't see anything because of the blasted wheat. Then he tripped.

It was Donnel's pot, the one that he never took off his head. Stahl knelt to pick it up and gripped its handles until his knuckles turned white. He knew what it meant.

"Uncle Stahl, I found him!" Cynthia cried. He saw the girl hovering with her Pegasus in the air and pointing to the ground. Stahl ran to where she was pointing and saw Donnel, lying face flat on the ground with a massive sword cut on his back. Stahl dropped the pot and realized that his friend has been dead for months. And his death didn't look like it was from a Risen attack.

Stahl steeled himself. Another one of his friends was dead, and he felt himself breaking more and more apart. "Cynthia, tell Gerome to get a shovel," he said.

"Understood." The Pegasus and its rider flew away. Stahl picked up Donnel's corpse and carried it out of the wheat field. He set Donnel on the ground then he went back into the house and carried the old lady's corpse to place it beside her son. Gerome came back with three shovels of varying sizes from Donnel's shack, and the three of them worked together to dig a grave. It was sunset when they were done and they said a silent prayer to have their souls rest in peace. "And don't come back, Donnel. We will look for Nah for you," he said to his friend.

"Nah shouldn't be too far, unless she turned into a dragon and ran away," Gerome said.

Stahl shook his head. "No, she didn't run away. She couldn't run away. Let's head to the other houses."

The three of them headed to the other houses. Some of the houses were just as ransacked as Donnel's place and just as devoid of life. When they saw the last intact house, Stahl became livid with rage. He found Nah sitting on the ground with a metal collar around her neck and chained to a post.

"Nah!" he called to her, but she didn't respond. She just looked blankly at the ground.

Stahl looked for something to free her with, but he couldn't find anything that would help him. "Oh Nah, what have they done to you?" He knelt beside her and lifted her face. Nah shied away when he touched her. _‘What have those dastards done to her? She’s only thirteen!’_ If he saw the ones responsible for this…

"Gerome, can you free her with your axe? Break those chains," Stahl commanded. He returned his attention to Nah. "Come on, Nah. Don't you recognize me? It's your Uncle Stahl. We have a song together, remember? Nah-Nah had a little lamb?"

Nah didn’t respond. Stahl repeated the first line of the song.

"A very tasty mutton chop…" the girl whispered.

"And everywhere that Nah-Nah went?"

"Her lunch was sure to go…" She looked up and tears started forming in her eyes when she recognized the man in front of her. "Uncle Stahl? Is that really you?"

Stahl nodded as he hugged the girl tightly. "I'm sorry Nah. We weren't here fast enough."

"Uncle Stahl! Father and Grandma! They're gone!" Nah cried. "They took me one night," she said. "It… it was horrible! They made me fight Risen, made me do things… I-I didn’t want… They…" Stahl noticed the bloodstains on her dress. _‘How long? Gods! How long has she been with those dastards!’_

The door to the house opened. A man came out, wearing Donnel's militia uniform. He was probably the only other person alive in this town. "Hey, what are you doing to my property? You thief!" He pointed at Gerome. "Who are you people?"

Cynthia growled at the man. "How dare you call Nah your property, you kidnapper!" She was about to attack but Stahl stopped her.

"You…" Stahl said through gritted teeth. "You do not deserve to live."

"No, you come in here, threatening me and stealing my property! You are the one who doesn't deserve to live," the man said. He raised his hand and snapped once to signal to Nah. The sound got Nah's attention and she stood up and took a dragon stone out of her pocket. "Nah, go get them," he was about to snap his fingers again when Stahl punched the man’s face with his gauntleted hand.

"How exactly are you gonna snap your fingers after I rip off both your thumbs?" Stahl asked. He broke the man's thumb and the man cried in pain. Stahl used that moment to break the man's jaw and tackle him to the ground. He straddled the militia man, broke his other thumb, and punched him relentlessly until the man's face was too bloody to be recognized. “Gods damn you! She’s just a child! You are scum! You! Are! Scum!” he accented each word with a punch.

"Uncle Stahl, stop!" Gerome pulled him away from the militia man.

Stahl didn't listen. He struggled from Gerome's grip and wanted to hit the man some more as he cried to the heavens. He unsheathed his sword and was about to kill the man when Cynthia helped Gerome in stopping him. With their combined effort, Stahl calmed down and closed his eyes. When he opened them, it was like he was a completely different man. He calmly walked towards Nah and ruffled her hair. "No one is going to treat you like that again, Nah."

He searched for any keys on the man, and when he found them, he unlocked Nah's collar. He dragged the man to the chain and put the iron collar on his neck. Stahl picked his bow and arrows and shot the man's sleeves, pinning him to the ground. He turned around and never looked back, the children following him.

"Beware the nice ones," Cynthia whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nah has always been called "little girl" (in her paralogue and how she was normally described). Her history said that she was young enough to have forgotten her parents' faces. So I made her into the youngest of the future kids, have Nowi consistently going out to battle with Chrom (so she doesn't remember what Nowi looked like), and had her father die in a traumatic event. With Donnel and Nowi as her parents, they probably didn’t have enough money to have family portraits made as those things were expensive back then.  
> Her history also said that she was sent to her father's army friends when she was orphaned and she fought off Risen at night. Now I couldn't imagine anyone in the Shepherds except Tharja doing that (No. Tharja is not a nice girl), so I used the next best thing, which was Donnel's militia in his solo ending.  
> And yes. Beware the nice ones.


	14. May You Never Come Back

Stahl and his companions arrived two days later in Ylisstol's ruins and what they saw before them made them cringe. There was a mass grave dug outside what was once the north gate. Hundreds of bodies were thrown haphazardly in the pit as spectators cried for their loved ones. Some of them went down to loot the already rotting corpses.

From a distance, Stahl saw Fredrick's five day old corpse stripped off his armor. The man who took it threw Frederick on top of some fallen soldiers that Stahl recognized. To make matters worse, the man who took off the great knight's armor raised it in the air with a big smile on his face like it was a trophy. It took all of Stahl's might not to run the dastard through with his sword. He knew that Frederick no longer needed it, and if his mentor ever came back, fighting him as a Risen without armor would be easier.

Then he saw Severa running towards the man, kicked him in the balls and threw him in the pit. Some people tried to calm her down, but she just shouted and struggled away from them. She managed to douse the man with oil, lighted a match and burned the man alive. Lissa, who prayed over the mass grave, saw what happened, ran towards Severa and gave the girl a talking to. “It’s not time to burn the corpses Severa!”

“I’m just following what father did. He was the one who always started campfires, why can’t I do it now since I just put him in the pit?”

Stahl urged Gerome to fly faster towards the pugnacious teenager.

"Hey, hey Severa, there was no need to do that," Stahl said as he dismounted from Minerva and grabbed Severa’s shoulder. The girl stopped and turned around to see who did that. She gave Stahl a hug the moment she realized that he was the one who did it. "You're back! I missed you.”

"Whoa! I didn't expect you to just throw your arms around me like that." He gently pried Severa off of him. "Er, here, hug Gerome instead."

"What? Are you pimping me?" Gerome asked, but he was completely ignored by everyone present.

“It's not like I'm happy that you're back or anything," she flushed then she rolled her eyes. "It's been hell since you guys were gone. Gawds, I cannot live here anymore!"

Stahl patted her back. "All will be well Severa," he said.

“Is that your lame ass optimism working? Because once everything went to hell, this world cannot be saved anymore.”

“Stahl looked around the mass grave site. He saw different kinds of people there. There were opportunistic ones who looted corpses. There were those who fought over the loot, killed each other and disposed their enemy's body in the grave. Some people tried to keep order, like Sully who broke down fights with her fists. She then lovingly laid Kellam to rest near Frederick's corpse. Some people, like Henry, watched as each corpse tumbled down the pit with a satisfied grin on his face. There were people who just did their jobs and dump corpses on the ground and stared at space blankly. When the pit was full, Lissa presided and said a prayer to the gods. The few remaining Ylissean mages doused the pit with oil and burned everything in the pit. "May you never come back" was said in unison. Once the smoke cleared and the corpses were gone, the pit was filled with corpses again. Severa tagged along with them once the ceremony was over.

It was a long and tedious process that sent chills down Stahl's spine.

Some reunited families who had their few possessions with them rode wagons out of the city. "Where are they going? There's nothing out there," Cynthia asked.

"They're hoping for a miracle," Nah answered. "Whatever alternative is out there, it's better than staying in Ylisse."

Stahl felt Nah's emotions. She was a completely different being now, all mature and cynical, because of what she went through. He was sad that her innocence was forever gone.

It was no better when they went in the city. Stahl and Gerome had to stop a group of men from harassing a poor girl who was on her way to the castle for refuge. They haven’t been too far from that scene when a woman jumped at them with a knife in her hands, threatening to kill them.

“Risen scum! Why do you want to eat my brain? Get back, get back all of you!” She waved the knife and accidentally cut Nah in the process. Gerome disarmed the woman and gave her a blow to her nape which rendered her unconscious. The wyvern rider put the woman on Minerva’s back, right in front of the girl that they just rescued. Nah’s wound was a long gash that ran down her arm. “I guess I have to wear long sleeves now,” she said.

The barkers cried "bring out your dead" as they rang a bell and pushed a wheelbarrow in the streets. Women carrying corpses of varying ages went out of their houses and set their dead relatives on the wheelbarrows.

“Hey handsome, want a piece of this? I can give it to you if you can give me sugar,” a woman stopped Stahl in his tracks. Stahl realized that some women even stooped to prostitution just so they can have the basic needs to survive. “No thanks, but if you make your way into the castle I am pretty sure they have food, clothing and sugar in there for you to survive,” he answered.

Stahl never in his life thought that with no society to check on their actions, normal people would commit such atrocities. This was not the Ylisse that he knew, and he doubted that it will go back to its former glory.

When they got inside the castle, they were bombarded with noise. A lot of people complained to Morgan and Laurent about too many petty issues, but it was mainly about food.

Some people threw rocks at Lucina. They were stopped by Kjelle and Yen'fay, and the actions of the two had the mob shouting "Oppression!" over and over again. The other soldiers who stopped the mob were faced with a similar reaction. “Telling us to stop protesting is oppression.”

“Blood and thunder!” Noire shouted. “This is the end of my patience! Now bathe in Hellfire you fools!” Morgan grabbed her sister and calmed her down before anything wrong happened.

"Enough!" Lucina shouted as she banged her fist on Morgan and Laurent’s table.

It quelled the protesters a bit.

"We are not in a democracy, and any form of rebellion is treason against the crown!” Lucina exclaimed. The protesters fell silent and the soldiers unsheathed their weapons. They went into formation and awaited the orders of their queen.

“I can have all, ALL, of you thrown in prison but what is the point of that? I know how each and every one of you feels. You were not the only ones who lost families, lost everything! When the Fell Dragon attacked, the whole of Ylisse lost, and for there to be any semblance of sanity, we should all work together. Yet all I hear are complaints and you people demanding that the crown should do everything for you. No more! Starting today, Ylisse will only care for those who want to be taken care of. I will give all of you, even the soldiers, a choice: stay in Ylisse but you should follow all of the rules and cooperate, or leave and make your own choices. I will hear no more complaints today. No one, and I mean no one, has the luxury to be entitled when everybody else is suffering. We are all doing sacrifices to survive this hell. If you are not content with how the crown is handling the situation, then you are free to leave the city, and never return. Once again, we are not a democracy and this is the only chance that the crown gives for you to make a choice." She folded her arms and glared at the crowd.

The people weighed their options. Some of them packed their belongings and left the city while there was still light. "Leader of a broken nation," someone managed to say. Yen'fay was about to draw his sword but Lucina stopped him. Killing that person would indicate that Lucina was willing to renege on her action of giving the people the freedom to choose.

The rest who stayed with Lucina were her soldiers, the Shepherds, and a handful of people who still believed in the crown. Only an eighth of Ylisstol's population remained.

The tense silence that remained in the castle was undisturbed until a little boy coughed. Everybody took it as an indication to get back to work. Lucina sat down on her throne and gripped the armrest until her knuckles turned white. She had to show what was left of her citizens that she was tough and that she can pull through it all.

Stahl and his group walked up to the throne and surrounded the monarch, so that nobody else can see how Lucina was faring. Stahl sensed so much resigned anger and pitied the queen. She had to make horrible decisions and have the weight of the world on her shoulders. "It's okay Lucina, you can breathe now." Stahl said to help alleviate her stress.

The queen sank in her chair and released a long sigh of relief. "Thanks Uncle Stahl. I'm sorry you had to witness that. I signed their death warrants. I sent those people out there to die.” They didn’t have the heart to tell her that they witnessed worse things outside the castle ruins.

“They made their choice, milady,” Stahl answered.

Lucina looked pensive, and she reluctantly nodded. “I'm sure all of you must be hungry. I'll have Laurent take you to the provisions tent, but before that – “ she spied Nah with them, “I want some news. I only see Nah here. I was expecting more survivors."

"The village in Farfort is gone," Stahl answered.

"There's one - " Cynthia began.

"There are NO survivors," Stahl interrupted her. "No survivors," he repeated.

"I see. I see…” She acknowledged Stahl’s report even if she didn’t believe it. “I'm glad you all came back," she said.

Stahl nodded and his group took their leave of the queen.

* * *

Grima did not show up in Ylisse again. However, there were reports from survivors who still went to Ylisstol, and some Pegasus Knights that the dragon was last seen in the Valmese continent and it was destroying all ships. The realization that everybody was trapped in the continent dawned upon Lucina. It was only a matter of time before the Fell Dragon returns and they have no escape route.

Lucina's priority now was to keep as many people alive as possible. She had many things to consider too. The main factor was that their food and water supply was dwindling. Different kinds of diseases started to appear as well when rats appeared and feasted on the still unclaimed corpses and spoiled food that littered the streets. The same rats attacked the supply tent and spoiled two weeks’ worth of grain and contaminated the water.

Early the following day, Morgan suggested to Lucina that they should leave Ylisstol. She deemed it undefendable and they had to restock their resources. “The best option was to run or hide, and the shelter that the castle ruins provided is at the bare minimum. We could not wait for another day, we have to leave now,” she said.

The two of them planned where to go next. The best option that they have was Regna Ferox. They hoped that Khan Flavia was still alive to assist them like the olden days. "What do we do if we don't see anyone there?" Morgan asked.

"We just expect the worst and hope for the best. Let's draft another plan. Where else can we best take our people?" Lucina sked.

"Mount Prism is closer, but it's harder to get there. It's also holy ground so I hope that no Risen ever go there," Morgan said. “The mountain will provide, I’m sure of it.”

"That’s right, Morgan. Hope for the best. But we go to Regna Ferox first."

Every able body packed up and said goodbye to Ylisstol. Some people wanted to stay but there was nothing left for them there. They marched out of the city ruins and headed to the cold wintry north.

Brady played his violin to keep the army's spirits up. Vaike sidled to his son's side and whistled the notes to the song. Nobody minded the music at first, but as the day wore on, the pace picked up and every soldier sang.

" _March along, sing our song, with the army of the free!_

_Count the brave, count the true, who have fought to victory._

_We're the army and proud of our name!_

_We're the army and proud to proclaim:_

_First to fight for the right,_

_And to build the nation's might"_

They rested for a bit when they reached the stream near the Northroad. The people who saw it first, ran as fast as their legs could take them and drank their fill. The soldiers who were on provision duty restocked their supplies by hunting or fishing. It was a minor miracle that made people laugh and let go of all the stress that built up in the past few days. Stahl and Brady took requests and played whatever happy song was thrown to them. There was dancing and some merrymaking since it might be the last time that anybody might experience it. Everybody sang when Lucina requested for Ylisse’s national anthem.

_“Fair Ylisse majestic and stately_

_Art thou in the radiant dawn…”_

The song ended with a sadness that everyone present will remember. The people picked up the march and went ahead on their journey.

The climate was getting colder. They were nearing Regna Ferox and they had to wrap themselves up in blankets. Everyone saw the great wall that separated Ylisse from Regna Ferox and were glad to see it was still intact. They reached the gates of Longfort, hoping to prove their might to the Feroxi so that they could be granted passage, but everyone in the gatehouse was dead.

The refugees took whatever provisions that they can from the gatehouse and burned the corpses that littered the ground. The good thing about it was that they were kept warm because of the huge bonfire. Everybody was losing hope that Regna Ferox still had people in it.

Lucina commanded her people to soldier on. They trudged through the snow all the way to the west, the people bundled up together for more body warmth. Brady took his violin out and tried to liven up the mood, but the coldness of the weather made his string snap and it hit his eye.

Halfway to Arena Ferox, they were ambushed by Risen. They were attacked by Risen archers hiding behind the pine trees on high hills. Fighting on snow was just as hard as fighting on sand and the Ylisseans were at an obvious disadvantage as arrows rained on them. The shield-less civilians were the first to go down.

"Retreat!" Morgan commanded. "Everyone back to Longfort!" Everybody ran as fast as they could. “Aunt Sully, form the rear guard.”

“Are you crazy? You’re sending her out there to die!” Kjelle exclaimed.

“Ha! It’s okay, baby. Those archers aren’t strong enough to end me,” Sully told her daughter. “Be strong now, I love you.” Sully rounded her paladins and cavaliers to form a defense against the archers. Vaike and his company of fighters and mercenaries decided to be heroes and supported the rear guard.

Severa wanted to stay and fight, but Vaike pushed her away. “Watcha doin’ girl? This ain’t a place for you. Go with the swordmasters, leave this to ol’ Teach.” He pushed her towards Inigo. “You too. You’re a prince so take this girl and go,” Vaike told Inigo.

Inigo nodded and dragged Severa away to the nearest swordmaster they could find. Stahl was the nearest one and he noticed the pair coming towards him. He felt Severa’s determination to fight, and realized Vaike’s reason for letting the two kids go. "Severa, now is not the time to be a hero," said Stahl. Severa reluctantly agreed.

Stahl, Owain and Yen'fay herded those who were defenseless away from firing range. Laurent, Henry and Morgan supported the swordmasters with their mages. They countered the incoming arrows with wind magic as the civilians ran to the relative safety of Longfort.

When they reached the gatehouse, the bonfire was just about to turn into embers. Henry got the fire going again and the survivors gathered around. Laurent started counting how many people were left.

Stahl used that opportunity to look for his friends. The children were there, Lissa, Yen'fay, Anna and Tiki were there too. After a moment, the people waited for the rear guard to return. Some cavaliers made their way back, but Sully and Vaike didn't return.

"I should've known. I should've expected an ambush. I should've sent scouts ahead. We were gonna pass through hills and I sent the army blindly there. I feel so stupid. I feel so, so stupid," Morgan said to no one in particular. "Now we're cold, and we're hungry and there's not much of us left." Cynthia hugged Morgan to calm her down. "I'm not good enough to be a tactician like my father. I wish he was here."

* * *

The next day, all of the civilians were dead. Yen’fay inspected the corpses of the people. Mothers smothered their children in their sleep and parents slit their own throats. The ones who had no hope left in their body stabbed their own hearts. A note was seen attached to an elder’s blanket. “You will survive better without civilians to take care of. May we never come back.”

Before anybody can mourn, the Risen archers went downhill to pursue the Ylisseans. Vaike and Sully were with them as Risen chiefs, commanding their own platoon of Risen heroes and paladins.

This was where Henry took his last stand. "Guys, the children are our future. There's thirteen left of them so take good care of them, okay? Bye-bye!" He disappeared in his murder of crows and took down as many archers as he can. The soldiers under his command stayed with him and they meted out much deserved justice. They charged towards the enemy with unmatched fervor but most of them still fell. Blood ran deep and mingled with the white snow when the undead Vaike beheaded Henry.

Stahl shook his head and mourned silently for Henry. He didn't know the guy that well, but he was sure that Henry could've been a good father.

There were eighteen of them left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been thinking about this a lot in social science class. What is the measure of society? It's a very vague topic and a variety of definitions attempted to capture its essence. The working definition is: Civil society is the sphere of institutions, organizations and individuals located among the family, the state and the market, in which people associate voluntarily to advance common interests.  
> In a post apocalyptic scenario, society breaks down as at least 5 of the things mentioned are destroyed. We are then left with individuals who just follow their primal instinct of survival. If you were in their position, with nothing to keep you in check, what will you do to survive? How far will you go to survive? Scratch that, would you even want to survive?


	15. I Challenge my Fate

There was no need to worry that much about food. Out of the five adults in the group, three of them knew how to use archery to hunt. Yen'fay led the team in stocking their provisions, Anna was in charge of baiting the target with whatever wares she had left in her sack, and Stahl backed them up but he mostly carried things for them. They coached Noire how to be a better archer and taught her how to make her own arrows. One day, she joined them in the hunt and she went back to camp with a nice plump pheasant. The only problem was their water supply. The only place where they can get it was from the stream at the Northroad. They had to conserve whatever water they have until they get to Mount Prism. And from the Northroad to the mountain, they have to go through Breakneck Pass. With only two mounted people in their group and everybody else walking on foot, they assumed that their journey would take more than a month.

"Let's all take three water skins each," Laurent suggested. "And load Daisy and Minerva with additional ones."

"It's fine by me. I can walk," Cynthia said. Gerome agreed.

"Try to conserve as much water as possible, especially when we go uphill. The other recourse we're hoping for is precipitation," he added. "Although I know it would prove to be difficult as it is summer."

Off they marched to Mount Prism under the heat of the summer sun. Everybody's stress levels were high but they tried their best to liven up, but fights between the kids broke out. Owain and Inigo may be cousins, but that doesn't mean that they had to like each other very much. Inigo's hitting on every girl in camp got to Owain's nerves one time when the girl that he liked was involved.

“This is not the time to hit on girls. Nobody has the time to make relationships! All we want to do is survive and you’re making it difficult for us,” Owain said.

“You’re just jealous because at least she noticed me instead of all her attention focused on you,” Inigo said. “You know why? Because you’re selfish and you live in an imaginary world.”

"Sacred Stones!" Owain shouted. Then he punched Inigo at the balls.

In a week and a half of travel, most of them were dehydrated. All of them trained themselves to drink animal blood for hydration. Brady cried when he first tried it, but as the days passed on he became nonchalant. The mounts were travel weary, especially Minerva who can't graze anywhere like Daisy. To make matters worse, Risen occasionally attacked their camp but it was nothing that they couldn't handle.

"I'm getting too old for this. I just want to die!" Anna screamed on one humid night. Everybody glared at her, except for Lady Tiki.

"We do not have to live like this," Tiki said.

"You're right. No one has to live like this. Why don't we all gather round and kill ourselves at the same time? The world is overrun with Risen anyway and we're probably the only humans left. Have you seen another human being in the wrecked villages that we passed? Neither did I." She held Tiki's hands. "Come on Tiki, what do you say? For old time's sake, let's do it together or you do me and I do you." She winked.

Tiki shook her head. "No, we do not have to do that. I believe there is a way to save this world that does not involve confronting Grima in the here and now."

Anna perked up. "Is this something that all of us should know?"

"Yes. We should travel to the past, and stop these events from happening."

Anna shook her head. "Tiki, not you too! We are already surrounded by psychotic kids. Why, the other day, Yarne believed that he was going to be killed by a swallow while Brady cried because he saw one. Now you are talking about time traveling," Anna laughed then she became serious. "Unless… Manaketes can do it. Holy crap, Tiki! Can you really travel through time? I know you can live for millennia, but time travel? Oh! Think of the profits I can make. Why, there would be several of me in different places at the same time. And if people think that I can travel way too fast, I'll just tell them that they met my sister. Yes! Yes, that's right." Anna giggled. "I'll just tell people that they met one of my many identical sisters, when it's just me all along. That would make me mysterious, and people like mystery. Tiki, you really are my best friend!" She kissed Tiki on the lips.

"Anna, I personally cannot travel through time, but I know someone who can give us that opportunity." Everybody stopped what they were doing and gathered around Tiki.

"What is this talk about traveling through time?" Laurent asked. "How is it achieved?"

"Naga is the answer. She has the spell which can take us back through time but it is not without cost," she answered.

"True, that is the fundamental law of magic. It always comes with a price. How high are the stakes for this spell? If it involves something as intangible as time, I would surmise that something intangible is its equivalent value. Is it souls?" Laurent asked.

"Nay, they are the bonds that we have in this world. In our lifetime, we have created several bonds that tether us, that of friends, lovers and familial which we call paralogue. Those bonds are strong enough that they enable us to remain here. But what if those bonds are gone? What else is holding us here? Through magic, we can reach for those same bonds even if they are from a different time. However, those bonds can only exist one at a time and to make a jump, to enable Naga's spell to work, we must sever the bonds that we have here and search for the paralogues in the past."

Laurent fixed his glasses. "In short, for Lucina, Inigo and Owain to travel back in time, Aunt Lissa and Uncle Stahl must die."

Lissa and Stahl looked at each other with their jaws dropped.

"No! No! I will not let that happen! Can we find another way? I would rather stay here and face those Risen scum than have my mother die! It's not fair," Owain shouted. "No! I do not agree with this."

"Why can't they join us? We will not go all the way to Mount Prism just to get them killed. No, this is a bad idea. All of us should survive. If we are going to leap through time, it's all of us or no one." Lucina said.

"I agree. Stahl is important to me and I will not go back in time without him," Severa said. "That is to say… he's like a father to me."

"Yes, I will not leave him here," Nah said. The children voiced out their grievances. Lissa squeezed Stahl's hand. She looked into his eyes and she knew that he understood her decision. He nodded. He was willing to do the same thing.

"Everybody calm down," Lissa said as she gestured for them all to stop talking. The children looked at her and then to Stahl. "That's better. Oh, where to begin? First of all, I want to tell each and every one of you that I love you. I love all of you so very much. And the funny thing about love is that you fight for it but you should also learn how to let it go. I guess, what I'm trying to say is that because I love you, I am willing to fight for your future, and there is no future here in this apocalyptic world. It hurts me to see that all of you have to suffer every day. No child deserves to be here. If all of you stay here, your talents, your life, everything, will be wasted. We cannot afford to see that happen to you. To anyone… Now Stahl and I have lived our lives, and we are content. But you kids, there are still so many things for you to do, so many things for you to experience and you won't get to see those things if you all stay here. We love you so much that we are willing to fight for your future by letting you go. But you have to do the same thing for us. You have to let us go."

The children protested again.

"Kids, kids, Kids!" Stahl shouted to calm everyone down. "Lissa couldn't have said it better. This place is no longer suited for anyone and your future is in the past. If you want to make a brighter future, go back and stop this from happening, back to where it all started twenty years ago. Stop Emmeryn's assassination and keep the Fire Emblem in the right hands. Challenge your fates. Oh, and if you find me in the past, don't tell me I have Exalted blood. It would just make things awkward for me and Frederick and I might get into trouble. I don’t want to be a lord."

Yen’fay stepped up and put a hand on Stahl’s shoulder. "I will not let them travel to the past alone. I can make the leap through time as well for no bonds anchor me here. I swear that I will protect them to the best of my abilities," Yen'fay said. "I swear it on Say'ri's grave."

"Anna, you should go with them too. I am the only one left holding you here and you should pursue your dreams. Naga would need my assistance to perform the spell either way. You cannot be left alone here," Tiki said. “In the end it’s just Risen, Naga, Grima and me.”

“No, Tiki! I cannot let that happen to you. You will be lonely again,” Anna said.

Tiki smiled sadly at her. “I have endured loneliness for so long Anna that it might even be the only thing that I was made for. Mar-mar is gone and I thought I wouldn’t be able to find people like him again. And in my long existence, some people occasionally pop up to make my waking moments worthwhile. That was you Anna. You have made me happy and you have given my existence meaning. Please, do not let what I am about to do be in vain and go back to the past to fulfill your dreams.”

"But… okay. I will go back in the past and I will find you, and then we're gonna make a mountain of money." She hugged Tiki.

Owain ran to his mother and gave Lissa the longest hug he's ever given her. "I don't want you to die for my sake. I don't want anyone to die for me anymore. I want to protect you mother," he said. His tears fell down his face and Lissa stroked her son's hair. "Listen to you," she said. "You sound like me and Ricken. Owain, all I want to do is to protect you too. How about this, go back to the past and protect me there?"

Lucina embraced Lissa as well. "In these dark times, you have been a pillar of strength for me. You have been like my mother, Aunt Lissa. And I thank you so much for all of the sacrifices that you have made for me." She pulled herself away from Lissa and then embraced Stahl. "Uncle Stahl, I have always appreciated your counsel, especially when you helped me be a real leader three years ago and I thank you for your sacrifices, not just for me but for the crown as well."

One by one, the children gathered around Stahl and Lissa and trapped them into one big group hug. "Yes, yes, we love you all. Now it's late and you should all go to sleep. The five of us will keep watch," Lissa said.

* * *

"What about Noire and Morgan?" Anna asked Tiki when all of the children were asleep. "If Robin is still alive there somewhere, and if he's really the vessel of Grima, then does that mean that they can't make the jump?"

Tiki shrugged. "I don't know. I think that if Grima has taken control over Robin's body then that might mean that Robin is no longer there. If that's the case, then the girls can travel."

"I sure hope so," Anna answered.

“What about Tharja?” Stahl asked. “Wouldn’t she side with the Grimleal? Wouldn’t Robin spare her because she is his wife?”

“Cordelia came back with Tharja’s ring. It would be nice if she were alive but if yes, then…” Lissa trailed off.

“That certainly complicates things,” Anna said. “I always called those two chess pawns. Noire has white hair like her dad and Morgan has black hair like her mom. Robin must have rigged it for the girls to look like that. I still can’t believe he’s Grima. I rooted for him.”

“So did I,” Lissa said. Stahl nodded beside her.

“I knew there was something strange about him when I first saw him,” Tiki said. “If they couldn’t make the jump, then I am still here. I will look after them. Now what do the two of you plan to do?” She asked Lissa and Stahl.

“I plan to defend them until only the ones who can’t jump are left. When it’s time for them to leave, then I will end my life,” Stahl answered.

Anna looked for two knives in her pack. She handed it to the two reluctantly.

“This is not going to be easy for anyone, but it’s their only chance.” Lissa said. Her tears fell until she couldn’t control it anymore. Everything was unleashed in one big torrent and Stahl hugged her and rubber her back. “This… it’s for Owain. Everything that I do is for Owain.”

* * *

There was thankfully a lake and a village near Breakneck Pass. The village was deserted but there were still some items there that the group could use. They were thankful to the gods that after a month of sleeping on the ground, they were finally able to sleep under a ceiling that was not made of stars.

Lucina stared lovingly at her pendant. It had the likeness of Olivia carved on it and she smiled. She had a second chance to see her mother again, but everything will be different. She would look younger, prettier and probably be shyer. And what broke her heart is that Olivia wouldn't recognize her at all.

Gerome tapped her shoulder, "Lucina, it's my turn to keep watch."

"Thanks Gerome." She put the pendant back under her shirt and was about to take her spot on the floor when Gerome stopped her.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Here, take this." Gerome handed her something from his pack.

Lucina held it under the moonlight. "A mask? What is it for?"

"There will come a time once we travel in the past where you would need to conceal your identity. This might come in handy," he answered.

It was like Gerome read her mind. "Why, thank you Gerome. It looks like a butterfly, it's very pretty." She touched his arm and smiled at him.

"Think nothing of it."

The next day, they headed on the long march towards Mount Prism. The Risen attacks became commonplace and it continued until they were all weary.

They have forgotten how long they have been traveling, and it took Laurent a few minutes to calculate for it. They have been traveling on foot from the Northroad to Breakneck Pass for half a month, and one month up to where they were now. They saw Mount Prism in the distance but they guessed that it will take them another month to get there. But they soldiered on.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Brady cried and kissed the ground. The group camped there for the night and then moved on. It took them several days to reach the peak, and when they were finally there, they rested and took in the beautiful scenery. "It's a good thing that the Risen couldn't follow us here," Anna said as she lay on the grass. "Fresh air is amazing."

Lissa took off her ring and gave it to Owain. “I love you,” she said and then gave her son a kiss on the head. Her son clung to her. He knew that this was the last time that he will ever see his mother. “I love you too mom.”

Tiki walked towards the center of the peak. She looked at everyone around her and they took it as an indication that she was ready to summon Naga. She knelt and clasped her hands to pray silently. Pale green light surrounded her and there was a soft humming that was heard all around them.

"What is going on?" Lucina asked.

"Lady Tiki is enacting a holy rite to commune with Naga, my queen," Yen'fay said.

Tiki stood up and opened her arms. A flash of blinding light surrounded them and a maiden shrouded in the same pale green light that surrounded Tiki appeared before them.

"Hail Tiki," said the maiden.

"Naga," Tiki answered with a nod. "I have a request. This world cannot continue anymore, and we want to open a path to the old one through the power of paralogue connections. These children and two of their companions would like to travel twenty years into the past to challenge their fates and save the future from Grima."

"This does not come without cost, are they prepared for it?"

"Yes, I have informed them of the consequences. Those who will take the leap, do not have ties that bind them here," Tiki answered.

"Very well. Oh children, you who are humanity's hope… have you prepared?" She asked them.

Everyone answered yes.

"A gate has been opened at the altar – " Tiki was gone for a split second. "Grima! He's here. Hurry to the altar, I can only keep the gate open for so long."

"The altar is straight ahead beyond those trees. There is a sanctuary made of stone there, you cannot miss it," Tiki said. "Hurry! I will stay here and give Naga my power."

The children followed Lucina as they ran to the altar. The first Risen fighter appeared and Stahl engaged it in combat. He slid is sword through the axe's defense and pierced the undead's throat.

He dragged Lissa with him to the altar and took his last stand at the entrance to the sanctuary.

The gate that Tiki and Naga opened was made of light and it was flickering, threatening to shut down at any moment's notice.

"I will cover you. Go, travel through time and save the world," Stahl told them.

"I take my leave. I will keep my promise," Yen'fay said. He ran towards the light and jumped.

Brady jumped next, followed by a very scared Yarne who clung on to Kjelle. Cynthia flew with her Pegasus after saying thanks and goodbye. Noire was scared at first, but after some coaxing from her sister, she jumped through time much to the relief of Stahl and Lissa. More Risen came and Stahl fought them with all of his might. His sword arm was wounded by an axe and Lissa applied her healing magic there. Stahl cut down the undead fighter in front of him.

"Thanks again for everything," Gerome said. Then he flew through the gate with Minerva.

"I will see you on the other side, everyone," Laurent said. "And thank you again." He leapt through time.

"Thanks so much for rescuing me Uncle Stahl," Nah said.

"Don't mention it Nah-Nah," he answered. Nah ran to the gate and jumped. He cut down more Risen.

"Stahl, I… I love you," Severa said.

Stahl sighed. "Severa, you should really hang out more with people your age."

"Then I have your permission! I will go back and find you and you will be younger. I'll see you there and you will be loved," she said. Severa ran towards the light.

More Risen came to stop the rest of the children from leaping. Stahl was getting more injuries, and Lissa was running out of uses for her staff. "Stahl, I can only heal you four more times. You don't have to fight so hard anymore," Lissa told him. A sword ran through Stahl's stomach.

"G-go…" he told the children “The vessel… is here…” But they couldn't make the leap just yet. There were four of them left: Lucina, Inigo, Owain and Morgan. Morgan was about to jump but she was curious. She wanted to see who Grima was.

"Grima," Lissa said. "It's been a while. Let me guess, there's nothing in there that's part of the old you, huh?"

The four children couldn't see who Lissa was talking to since she and Stahl were still blocking the doorway.

They heard the same laughter and the same voice from when the Fell Dragon attacked Ylisse. "Well, well, well… who would've thought that from out of all the Shepherds, it would be the two of you who would be the last to fall."Grima laughed.

"You two are fools until the end. Stahl, Stahl, Stahl… Naïve, self-sacrificing Stahl and poor sheltered Princess Lissa. Gotta say this, I had fun killing off your friends one by one. Olivia and Chrom were the best bits,” he said. “Oh, it was dramatic when Chrom died. He still believed that I couldn’t do it. He was stupid until the end.”

Stahl gripped his sword and was about to attack, but Lissa stopped him.

“It was so fun to toy with you Shepherds for the past three years. The two of you knew that I was a spy, and yet you didn’t tell Chrom anything. Gotta admit, that was pretty stupid.” Grima laughed again. “Frederick, now he was right all along. He’s been right from the start. But your dumb brother doesn’t know how to listen to sound advice. I guess stupidity just runs in the family eh, Lissa?”

“My brother believed in friendship and you took advantage of him.”

“We were never friends! I used him several times and he didn’t even notice because I was his ‘friend’. Now that he’s gone, I wanted to see how far you will go just to keep Lucina alive."

Stahl was about to fall from his blood loss. Lissa healed him. "You underestimated us. I can perform a miracle, you know. And Stahllion here, is made of sterner stuff. R-Grima, have you ever wondered why I am a cleric? I guess not, since all you cared about was world domination. Let me tell you why, it's because I'm self-sacrificing too. I would rather put other people ahead of me because it makes the world a better place. It just runs in the blood, you know. Mine, Chrom's, Emmeryn's and Stahl's."

"What? Stahl?!"

"That's right. Took you by surprise huh? You just can't see my mark because it's on my stomach," Stahl answered.

"And mine is in my heart," Lissa said.

"That doesn't change anything. You can't kill me, you can't even wield the Falchion," Grima answered.

"Oh, but I can," Stahl said. He sheathed his sword and took out the knives given to them by Anna. He handed one to Lissa. "I just chose to let the future use it." He looked back at the four kids. "When I say now, you all jump at once, okay?"

The Vessel craned his neck to see who was behind him, but Stahl was a tall man and Lissa’s dress was big enough to conceal whoever it was that was behind them.

Lissa looked at Stahl and nodded.

"Now!" They shouted.

The two of them slit their throats.

Grima's Risen army trampled on Stahl and Lissa's corpses as Lucina, Owain, and Inigo turned around and ran to the light. Morgan stayed a bit to see who the Vessel was. “No! It can’t be!” She screamed. The Vessel ran towards her and grabbed her hand. Morgan struggled and pulled herself into the gate, followed by Grima’s vessel and the undead, they leapt through time.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FEA had so many unanswered questions and this fanfic was an attempt to piece together bits and pieces of information that the writers may have missed out on like, ‘how the hell in the world did Stahl use Chrom’s sword to slice potatoes for Panne?’ Granted, it might be the Rapier, but that would still be "Lords only" and "Chrom's Sword" is specifically the Falchion. There is a weirder fan theory out there about Stahl being Chrom and Sumia's time traveling love child, that's why he has the same job classes as Chrom (with Myrmidon substituting for Lord). It's the logic behind "why he can't have a support with Sumia". This doesn't make sense as children can have supports with their parents. (But google it just the same, it's made out of fun stuff.) And yes, this whole story was written because of Stahl's B support with Panne.
> 
> Lissa may have an unseen Mark somewhere in her body.
> 
> How did the time travelling spell work? FEA talked about bonds several times, so why not use it for the time traveling mechanics in this fic? The best spell/word to use was 'paralogue' since it's used in the game, it's a word used in genetics, and what is FEA but one big eugenics simulator? (Heck, Chrom might be even short for "Chromosome").
> 
> I hope this also answered how Yen'fay ended up in the past and how Anna is everywhere through wibbly wobbly timey wimey rules. If Laurent was sent farther in the past than the other future kids (which opens up an entirely different can of plotholes), then why can’t Anna have a complicated time jump as well?
> 
> Please review so I can improve how I write. This is my first fanfic and English is my second language so please be nice. Thanks!


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